Shotover sewage discharges breach safety limits as monitoring is cut back

Water quality reporting from the Otago Regional Council shows that discharges from the QLDC’s Shotover sewage plant have breached e coli safety and resource consent limits after a steady increase in contamination throughout July.

The new results come at the same time as the ORC is cutting back reporting requirements from weekly to monthly because they are satisfied with the way QLDC is reporting on water quality.

There also a lack of clarity around the multiple measures that are included in the Enforcement Order granted to the ORC by the Environment Court. Most of the deadlines for the actions required have already passed - in fact some Enforcement Order deadlines were out of date on the day the Order was granted.

There’s also been a marked lack of promised water quality reporting on the QLDC website with the most recent post being six weeks ago.

Source: QLDC website August 15, 2025.

The ORC has also reported that another vital water quality test, suspended solids, has shown a marked increase and a breach of consent limits not only at the Shotover discharge point but further downstream towards Cromwell. An increase in suspended solids indicates that the Shotover plant is not functioning correctly, in spite of multiple assurance to the contrary from the QLDC and local MP Joseph Mooney.

The QLDC’s response to the Enforcement Order seems to be limited to the hiring of a single, part time “intermediate level” consultant project manager, as listed on the Government procurement site GETS.

“QLDC requires a single Intermediate Project Manager to work alongside and support our Senior Project Manager to focus on the actions and tasks required to support the QLDC Enforcement Order activities and Emergency Works at the Shotover WWTP Disposal Fields.

Anticipated .5 FTE initially (20hrs per week), reducing to .3 by end of 2025, then a steady 0.25 through 2026.

Must be Central Otago based.

RFx Outcome

This tender has been awarded.