ORC sewage investigation "highest priority"

Otago Regional Council CEO Richard Sanders has said in a statement today that multiple investigations are underway into sewage treatment and overflow issues at Queenstown's Shotover waste water plant.

"ORC tests in recent months shows the discharge is well treated and complies with the limits set in consent conditions, while the detected limits are well below the contact recreation guidelines."

“We want our consent holders to achieve compliance with their consents and this site is no exception.  Staff are involved in a process where we’re considering all the options available to bring about compliance. We’ve had a team working very hard on this and are taking these issues seriously. As part of ongoing investigations ORC has sought technical specialist advice around the site since July.”

Mr Saunders says in his statement that very high readings that Crux has reported (2,500,000 CFUs) happened earlier in the year as a result of "mechanical failure." However the actual cause was the partial collapse (on two occasions) of an illegal, un-consented earth bank built by the plant's operators the Queenstown Lakes District Council.

"Mechanical failure" was the collapse of illegally constructed QLDC emergency banks of effluent that was over 9,000 times over the legal consented limit. Image: ORC

In his statement today, claiming that e coli limits are now within consent limits Mr Saunders does not explain how such high levels within the disposal field were even possible earlier in the year, if the rest of the plant was working to specification. Recent ORC tests indicate that the e coli levels are "less than 1,000 CFU's" and Crux independent tests came back showing that the levels were above a technical baseline - but with no exact reading obtained. 

The statement also does not address that fact that any discharge of effluent from the outside Shotover disposal field, regardless of e coli readings, is not consented.

“The discharge issues at the Shotover treatment plant remain our highest priority investigation.”

“As the owner-operator of the plant, QLDC needs to go through all the treatment processes involved with the plant’s operation, to see that the discharges are better contained and the site is operated as set out in their consent. As is the nature of wastewater treatment plants anywhere ongoing management of wastewater is needed and it is not as simple as stopping all inputs into the plant.”

"Any future compliance action would occur in line with ORC’s Compliance and Enforcement Policy and the tools available to the Council under the Resource Management Act 1991.

"There could potentially be a decision on this in coming weeks, once the investigations have been completed.  However, any compliance investigation needs to be thorough and to a high standard and in undertaking their investigations ORC is ensuring this happens."

Illegal effluent flowing from the Shotover disposal field today December 10

The effluent (left) was still entering the Kawarau River today (December 10) - zero discharge into the river is permitted

Crux noted today (Dec 10) that effluent was still being discharged illegally from the disposal field, over land, towards the Kawarau River. We've documented this happening for the past month. Any such discharge is not permitted by the QLDC's resource consent from the ORC.

The QLDC has refused to answer Crux questions about the current status of the plant and what fix, if any, is planned or in progress. 

Read:  Queenstown effluent levels 9,000 times higher than permitted.