Cardrona skifield closed

Cardrona Alpine Resort will close for an indefinite period while contractors drain a near-overflowing oxidation pond at the skifield.

"Grey water" from the skifield's oxidation pond would be trucked out by contractors and transported to Queenstown during the next "few days", Cardrona marketing manager Nadia Ellis said yesterday.

"Once we've got a better idea of how long the process will take, we'll have a better idea of when we can reopen," Ms Ellis said.

The oxidation pond, which stores storm water and grey water from the skifield's facilities, had come close to overflowing recently as heavy rain and snow melt contributed to high levels, she said.

Sewage was not processed at the oxidation ponds but was stored in silage tanks before being transported from the skifield, Ms Ellis said.

Skifield staff had been removing snow from around the oxidation pond to ensure warmer spring temperatures and snow melt would not increase the already high levels of grey water, she said.

The oxidation pond is beneath the main ski area of Cardrona below the upper stretches of the resort's access road.

The Otago Regional Council and health department officials had been informed about the rising oxidation pond and the measures being taken to drain the wastewater facility, Ms Ellis said.

Because the appropriate measures were being taken, the public and Cardona's customers could be reassured there were no environmental concerns, she said.

"The last thing we want is for the pond to overflow and have [wastewater] going down the valley," Ms Ellis said.

Affected customers would be given a full refund if they had pre-booked multi-day lift pass tickets, ski or snowboarding lessons, or consecutive days of rental equipment hire, she said.

Cardrona's increasing popularity and rising visitor numbers had contributed to a higher output of grey water from the skifield's onsite facilities, she said.

Skifield management would consider an upgrade of infrastructure facilities during the summer to address the increasing demand higher visitor numbers were placing on the resort's facilities, Ms Ellis said.

Closing the skifield ensured there were no ongoing customer flows of wastewater going into the oxidation pond while contractors drained the facility, she said.