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The Orongorongo Valley is in the Rimutaka Forest Park, between the
Rimutaka Ranges and the Wainuiomata River. The area is used for
hunting, tramping and camping and is one of the most popular
recreational areas in the Wellington Region.

There are about 70 huts in the park. Sixty of these are private huts that
were built before the area was designated as a Forest Park.

DOC has expressed concerns about the suitability and efficiency of some
of the hut toilet systems, and it is likely that some toilets in the park do not
comply with the rules in the Regional Plan for Discharges to Land, which
became operative on 17 December 1999.

The objectives of this investigation were:

- To determine whether sewage disposal practices in the Orongorongo
Valley comply with the Rules in the Regional Plan for Discharges to Land.

- To determine whether these discharges are having, or have potential to
cause, an adverse effect on the environment.

- To provide recommendations for future monitoring of sewage disposal
practices in the Park.