Breaking: ORC receives emergency plan notification from QLDC

The Otago Regional Council has issued the following statement to Crux following our questions about the timing of the QLDC plan to use emergency powers to discharge semi-treated effluent into the Shotover River.

We also asked if the ORC was concerned that the confidential Environment Court mediation process was being used to "cloak" the current QLDC emergency discharge plan.

"We have been notified by QLDC that they are considering the use of emergency works provisions under the Resource Management Act. This is a decision for them to make as the operators of the treatment plant. The Act requires formal notification of the activity to be made within 7 days of it occurring and a resource consent application to be lodged within 20 working days of the emergency activity commencing. ORC staff will assess the activity as part of this process.

"The environment court mediation is a separate process and ORC continues to engage in this. We are looking forward to achieving a long term resolution to compliance issues at the Shotover treatment plant through this process."

Richard Saunders, CEO, Otago Regional Council.