Workers found that loads of junk were being stuffed into private and public wastewater pipes and had been drained into Glen Innes’ Omaru Creek.
It once used to be shiny and beautiful, but now that people have thrown all kinds of things into their wastewater pipes, this small river has gone all grubby and filthy. This is called dry weather overflows,since the type of damage isn’t caused by too much stormwater making its way into the drainwater system. These things happen when there is a pile of fat or rubbish like wet wipes in a pipe. They don’t break down in water, because they just create large clumps that block pipes and cause overflows. The workers aren’t responsible for fixing blockages or overflows on private properties, but they are trying their best to clean the stream. The men found disgusting things, such as kids toys, chunks of metal, etc. After they had picked out as much as could be, the workers then drained out the dirty brown water from the creek and flushed it with clean water to test for a few days. We, the students and teachers from Glen Innes School are trying to make a change, we are trying to keep a clean healthy environment, and we are starting with the creek. The creek now is still unacceptable, but it will be the stream it once was, because who knows that the trees and other life substances could be damaged if what its surrounding is not clean.
