ORC: QLDC/Veolia did not tell us it was this bad.

An Environment Court judge has today agreed to give Crux access to the evidence submitted in affidavits by Otago Regional Council investigators against the Queenstown Lakes District Council over claimed breaches of the Shotover wastewater plant's resource consent conditions.

There are hundreds of pages to review before we publish a full report for our paid subscribers on Friday February 7.

The evidence is dramatic in places and includes a vast amount of detail since problems started at the plant in 2021.

The problems are so serious now that both Deputy Mayor Quentin Smith and ORC Queenstown Councillor Alexa Forbes are calling for a complete halt to all local building work until the plant can handle the district's sewage load.

One part of the documents does seem very clear and unusual. Shelley Reed, ORC's Queenstown based Principal Compliance Officer, makes statement in one part of a sixteen part affidavit.

It documents how she visited the site in November 2024, unannounced and without signing in, then discovering an unconsented QLDC discharge pipe that Crux has also found (video below).

She reveals the concealed nature of this pipe and the unexpected extent of the discharge. She also notes the purpose of the pipe was to prevent the collapse of the non-consented bund or wall by was built around the disposal field in order to contain excess amounts of partially treated sewage.

The evidence (and large volumes of other evidence that we will report on Friday) challenges statements made by mayor Glyn Lewers and the QLDC comms team that appear to downplay or misrepresent the true situation.

The two sides will go into a confidential mediation process prior to any public court proceedings.

QLDC has told Crux they will not be making any comment due to the ongoing nature of the Environment Court case.