Regional Council to investigate potentially false QLDC sewage data
Share
The Otago Regional Council is to look into potentially false or incorrect data that the Queenstown Lakes District Council has used to support their “highly treated effluent” claims following the declaration of emergency sewage discharge powers.
“Near zero” results have been shared widely by the QLDC for the first day of the emergency discharge – March 31st. The results have been widely endorsed by local MP Joseph Mooney as well as QLDC Mayor Glyn Lewers. The same results have been used as fact by most major national news platforms.
Mayor Lewers told Crux on April 3:
“I trust the information provided by QLDC answers your questions. Please note the methodology used in testing, the reasons for it, as well as the correct reporting of the results.”
“The results published by QLDC are consistent with a well-functioning, well operated, modern wastewater treatment plant.”
However, Crux has identified multiple anomalies with the QLDC’s data.
Both the ORC and Crux tests on the same day produced results that were up to three times the safe or consented limit.
Here’s a summary:
These are the results from all three parties ORC, QLDC and Crux.
All from Eurofins independent test labs.
The consented and safe sewage limit is 260 cfu’s of e coli per 100 ml.
Crux - mid discharge channel 9.20 am March 31st - 570 cfu’s per 100 ml
ORC - discharge channel March 31st 3.00 pm - 730 cfu’s per 100 ml
ORC - Shotover river - downstream March 31st - 370 cfu’s per 100 ml
QLDC - Final Effluent point (either 00.00 or 9.00 am March 31st - disputed - no paperwork apart from midnight timing ) less than 10 cfu’s per 100 ml. Sample not submitted to Eurofins until at least 23.5 hours later at 8.30 am April 1st - e coli results invalid due to 24 hour time limit. No explanation for 24 hour delay. E coli must be tested at the Invercargill Eurofins lab within 24 hours of the sample being taken in order to be valid.
The QLDC's water test results from Monday March 31. The midnight sample time was before the sewage discharge started and the 24 hour delay before being delivered to the lab renders the e coli sample invalid.
Both ORC and QLDC argue “dead animals and faeces etc” for the discrepancy - but the channel was freshly dug with no time for rotting vegetation etc. Crux has an extensive photographic record of the channel immediately prior to the discharge – with no evidence of anything except newly excavated earth.
The new sewage discharge channel involves only newly excavated dirt
Crux asked ORC CEO Richard Saunders if his organisation would be taking action within the next 24 hours to challenge QLDC’s test results and put the public record straight if required. We also asked if ORC had any additional water test results from March 31st that had not yet been published.
Here’s his full response.
“ORC will be taking no action in the next 24 hours. We will look into the matter you have raised to see whether it has any impact on resource consent compliance. We continue to monitor the discharge from the plant in accordance with the plan we have made public.
“We have no further results from the 31st which have not been released. We have further results from the 7th which will be published this week. Full data sheets will be available for download.”
QLDC has not published any of the promised daily or weekly water test results from the Shotover plant since the March 31st report was made available and championed via this media release.
TOP STORIES
