The Dunedin City Council could help pay for new infrastructure to solve Blanket Bay's sewerage problem, or send in building staff to take enforcement action against residents.
The two approaches were among options outlined at yesterday's council infrastructure services committee meeting, following concerns about pollution coming from homes reliant on septic tanks in the area.
Speaking at yesterday's meeting, Chalmers Community Board chairwoman Jan Tucker urged councillors to consider the community's situation again.
"The residents do not want to live in the way they are. If they could fix it they would," she said.
The council had previously considered, and rejected, appeals from the residents to be connected to the city's sewerage network, because of capacity issues with the existing pipes and historic zoning changes which left the Blanket Bay community outside the areas eligible for reticulated services.
However, the council's new Reticulated Utility Services (Water, Wastewater or Stormwater) Policy now provided a framework for reconsidering the community's needs, council water and waste services manager John Mackie said.
Concerns about spare capacity in the existing pipe infrastructure - which also serviced Sawyers Bay and Port Chalmers - could be overcome with the construction of a storage facility.
Blanket Bay homes could discharge into the storage facility, which would then empty into existing pipes during periods of minimum flow, he said.
Another option was to enforce Building Act regulations by serving notice on homeowners to stop the discharges, which remained their responsibility, he said.
However, Mrs Tucker said the pollution problem was partly due to the small size of sections in the area, which did not allow enough room for the discharge of sewage to land.
Residents were left with no options, and would "certainly" be willing to contribute to the cost of a council solution, she said.
Cr Fliss Butcher advocated immediate action, suggesting construction of a new facility should begin as soon as possible.
"This is happening now. There's raw sewage spilling out because of their septic tanks into [Blanket Bay]. Surely, we can't allow that to continue.
"Why don't we just bite the bullet and fix the damn thing," she said.
Cr Kate Wilson raised concerns about encouraging more development in the area, if existing residents were connected, which could exacerbate capacity problems for existing infrastructure.
Councillors eventually voted to conduct a new feasibility study, to examine options, the community's ability to contribute to the cost of any scheme - from zero to 100% of the total cost - as well as more extensive testing for contamination in the area.
