Green light to progress shotover Waste water scheme

The Queenstown Lakes District Council is seeking comment on a proposal to implement the land disposal of waste water to land for the Wakatipu, Queenstown Lakes District Council Mayor Clive Geddes said.


The full council voted unanimously on Wednesday to progress the option to implement a waste water to land disposal scheme at the Shotover Delta in 2011.


The scheme would see an end to the current practise of disposing treated wastewater into the Shotover River. It was along very similar lines to Wanaka’s Project Pure scheme, currently under construction. The quality of the discharge would also be vastly improved.


“The existing discharge permit expires next year, however the consent can be extended pending a new application, which will be lodged by April, next year,” Mr Geddes said.


The council had been through an exhaustive process investigating a number of options before narrowing it down to three.


“Those three then underwent stakeholder consultation, scrutiny and ranking so that a preferred option could be presented to the council. That option was land disposal at the Shotover Delta,” QLDC engineering services general manager Mark Kunath said.


The recommendation was the same recommendation reached in 2002 by the council, but at that time concerns were raised as to the Delta’s suitability.


“It really didn’t have the support it needed through want of further, rigorous option analysis and risk assessment, which has since been undertaken. The council is now able to be completely comfortable that the delta option is the right option,” Mr Kunath said.


The selection criteria and process was clear and defendable and the result is that we will have a scheme that will serve the community for the next 35-years, Mr Geddes said.


A discussion paper on the delta land disposal proposal was now available at the council office or on the council website. The council was inviting public comment on the proposal.


“At this stage we are very interested in receiving community feedback before we move to lodging consent, Mr Kunath said.


Funding of the project would also be the subject of special consultation through the 2009 Council Community Plan.


Public comment was open to Friday 1 February, 2008.