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At least 12,000 cubic meters of treated effluent will be pumped into the Shotover River per day.
Photo: SELLPHOTO1/123RF
The wastewater will be discharged directly on the Shotover River from Monday morning, confirmed the Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC).
The board is promulgating emergency powers under the Resource Management Law to pump at least 12,000 cubic meters of Rio’s treated effluent a day after concerns about the bird strike at the nearby airport.
Problems with the water disposal area caused lagoons and an increase in the number of waterfowls that sand the habitat.
The daily discharge would be the equivalent of almost five Olympic pools a day.
“The use of emergency powers has been confirmed after QAC notification [Queenstown Airport] Increased aquatic poultry activity around the Lagoa Campo, which poses a high risk for aircraft operations in the area (including being close/under the main flight route), “the QLDC said in a statement.
“A resource consent to this intermediate disposal method will be sought by the Otago Regional Council retrospectively and should be presented within 20 business days after formally notifying them of the work.”
Queenstown Lakes Community Action Gate Nikki MacFarlane said the group was disappointed that the council was advancing with the plan.
She said the Shotover river was a jewel in the Queenstown Lakes community.
“It is extremely used for recreational purposes, is used to fish, it is a really significant ecological zone and is the main concern that the river itself will be damaged or has potential problems because of it,” she said.
“Once the effluent moves to the convergence between the Shotover river and the Kawarau River, it moves downstream and there are communities in this area that actually remove drinking water from this river. This is a huge problem for the whole community.”
MacFarlane said the board did not consult the residents about the plan.
“The fact that they have just moved on with it without trying to understand what concerns the community has, which are valid concerns … It’s super disappointing,” she said.
She said the group sent a letter to the advice asking for more information.
QLDC said the effluent would be highly treated and was confident of water quality that would not be impacted.
He said the Shotover and Kawarau Rivers were safe for swimming and other recreational activities.
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