Code brown at the poo ponds
Council contractors and officers are responding urgently to an overflow of partially treated wastewater from one of the poo ponds at Shotover Wastewater Treatment Plant.
The oxidation pond at the beleaguered Queenstown facility overtopped today.
Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) Acting General Manager Property & Infrastructure Simon Mason says effluent had made its way from the pond to a small section of natural swamp nearby, but understood no contamination had reached Shotover River.
The spill is not linked to ongoing repairs at the Shotover Wastewater Treatment Plant, as crews continue to work to resolve problems with the facility’s aeration grids.
"Crews are currently onsite working to resolve the issue and determine exactly what has caused the pond to overtop," he says.
"We’ve closed Shotover Delta Road as a precautionary measure as we make the necessary repairs."
Walking tracks in the area remain unaffected and open to the public.
QLDC has notified Otago Regional Council’s (ORC) Pollution team of the overflow, and ORC Compliance Officers are on-site to investigate.
It is the latest in a series of issues at the facility since December.
Repairs were made last month to the sludge processing and dewatering system, which was causing an horrific stench across neighbouring communities and Glenda Drive industrial area.
Once that was resolved, a secondary problem was discovered with the facility’s aeration grids.
A temporary aerator was brought down from Marlborough and installed, and fog cannons were used to lessen the smell, while council waited for spare parts from United States.
They have arrived and are currently being installed at the facility.
“As these repairs are made, the biological process treating the wastewater will progressively recover over the coming days and weeks and we hope to see the end of odour in the area soon after that," Mason says.
ORC has been getting daily reports on the two initial problems and its Compliance Manager, Tami Sargeant, says that won't be the end of the matter.
"A full investigation into the incident will occur, but the immediate priority has been to allow QLDC staff to focus their attention of remedial work to address the process issues at the wastewater treatment plant," she says.
"Once an investigation has been completed, compliance action will be considered in accordance with the RMA Compliance and Enforcement Policy."
