New ORC testing - Veolia buys an infectious substances truck

As we wait for QLDC to explain the missing information (time and place) from their March 31^st effluent sampling the Otago Regional Council has detailed a new testing regime for the Shotover delta.

The main image (above) shows the new ORC test sites.

Upstream entirely of the Shotover WWTP and ponds (before the SH6 bridge)
Final discharge post-UV
Discharge to the river (at the last realistic and safe point)
Approximately 20 meters downstream
Any discharge from the disposal field, if still discharging.
Upstream of Kawarau River
Downstream of Kawarau River (past Shotover river)

The ORC will take samples once a week from these locations and more frequently if there is an incident on site.

QLDC are required to sample the discharge to the disposal field monthly and supply results to ORC within 2 weeks of results being available to them. They have generally been sampling and supplying results more regularly than this.

Crux is currently lodging requests to QLDC for a number of additional or missing data sets from their recent testing.

QLDC won’t provide Crux with details around the activity shown in recent images (below) but we understand this activity is not connected with ORC’s new testing set up.

We’ve asked QLDC the following questions:

“Can you tell us what all of the new bore holes are for that are being drilled on the Shotover Delta?

“See photo below / what budget ($ amount please) is this coming from, what was the procurement process and what’s the plan that supports this extensive and rapid work?

“Also can you please reply to yesterday’s email from us regarding water samples being double the consented limit and please provide (urgently) your own sample results for this week. Comments please from Mayor Lewers.”

“Noting the Mayor’s call for better QLDC communication in the Mountain Scene this morning. We have 40,000 readers waiting for answers.”

A new permanent bore hole near the UV building. Trees smashed down - was there any resource consent application?

Construction equipment on the delta - no QLDC explanation

This was the reply supplied by QLDC.

“This work is being funded from the LTP budget for the alternative disposal project.

Please refer to our previous responses to you from 27 March and 28 February:

27 March

This was covered in our media release last Friday - “Council is continuing its work on a long-term solution for the disposal of treated wastewater from the WWTP. The public may see additional activity in and around the plant, including the wider delta area, as we continue our investigations.”

28 February

The GHD contract value is $1,325,300. This covers optioneering, business case preparation, concept and preliminary design, resource consent assistance, initial site investigations and assessment of environmental effects.

No further information has been supplied by QLDC as of 4.30 pm Friday April 4^th.

In the meantime Veolia has taken delivery of a new piece of equipment – an infectious substances truck. The “R” registration truck appears to be brand new and (so far) unused.

A brand new Veolia infectious substances truck - proposed purpose - unknown.

We have no idea what the proposed local purpose for this truck is as Veolia are not answering Crux questions and referring us instead to QLDC.

In the meantime we are very concerned that the ODT and other mainstream media have reported at face value the QLDC “clean effluent” statement from yesterday (Thursday April 3) without questioning the council information or recognising the existence of our own test results that show very high levels of e coli on Monday, March 31^st.

Thanks to the Crux paid subscribers who have made additional donations, we will be continuing our independent testing activity and carefully cross checking our results against those from ORC and QLDC.