Outrage over waste water plan

Queenstown locals will stage a protest on Wednesday against plans to discharge 12,000m3 of treated effluent per day directly into the Shotover River.

Councillor Niki Gladding says Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) plans to use emergency powers to discharge all the waste water from the troubled Shotover Treatment Plant into the river, for at least five years.

Gladding broke ranks to make the plan public after councillors were briefed behind closed doors on Thursday.

QLDC is under the gun over its failing disposal field at the plant and has been hauled to the Environment Court by freshwater regulator Otago Regional Council.

The disposal field is designed to allow treated water from the waste water plant to soak into the ground prior to entering groundwater and ultimately the river system. But it has been plagued by problems, resulting in persistent ponding and spillover.

Late Friday afternoon, QLDC infrastructure boss Tony Avery issued a statement to media saying the council has a proposal to rectify the problem in the short-term, with an announcement due Wednesday morning.

He reiterated QLDC's stance that the disposal field was introduced as a cultural consideration, and the water is clean enough to go directly into the Shotover, which flows into the Kawarau River.

“The disposal field is separate to the treatment plant and is not relied on as part of the wastewater treatment process," he says.

"This means that water flowing into the disposal field is treated to a standard appropriate for the downstream receiving environment, in this case the Shotover and Kawarau rivers.”

But the statement did not detail the full plan, prompting Gladding to go public.

"Councillors were told that within 3-7 days the CE [chief executive Mike Theelen] would use powers we have delegated to him to discharge all of the treated effluent leaving the UV plant to the Shotover River via an existing open channel," Gladding says.

"We were told that this would be achieved using section 330 of the RMA [Resource Management Act] which is reserved for emergencies."

Gladding says QLDC's staff cited three reasons the powers could be used - the potential for birdstrikes at Queenstown Airport from birds gathering near the disposal field, as well 'amenity' and public health.

"I've never heard of an amenity emergency, and QLDC has been adamant there is no health risk due to the quality of the treated effluent. The only reasonable ground, maybe, is the birdstrike issue."

QLDC has been in mediation with ORC over the issue, and the Environment Court is expected to issue orders soon.

Gladding believes QLDC's delay in making the plans public is an attempt to stifle opposition.

"Until QLDC confirms what I've disclosed, it's extremely difficult for iwi and other organisations to make moves to shut down their plans. I believe QLDC may be acting unlawfully on a number of fronts, and, to be frank, the councillors are letting it happen."

She says QLDC has an obligation to be open and transparent.

"I can see no lawful excuse for the secrecy I've witnessed over the last few days."

Queenstown Community Action has organised a protest at the plant on Wednesday morning, where the announcement will be made at 10am by QLDC to media. Protestors are meeting by the Quail Rise turn-off from 8am.

"This decision threatens our children, environment, tourism, and public health," a Facebook post from the group, organised by local Nikki Macfarlane reads.

In a detailed post, the group also question the council's stance about the disposal field making no real difference to the treatment process, saying as well as being more culturally appropriate, it also affects the treatment of solids and mitigates against plant failure.

The post cites the potential daily discharge as between 12,000m3 and 24,000m3.

It calls on locals to turn up with banners for the peaceful protest. Some 221 people have indicated they're interested in attending, with 33 confirmed.

Longer term, the council has set aside $77.5 million in its 10-year plan for a new disposal system at Shotover, but that's expected to take years to implement.