Council opts for sludge to land plan

The Queenstown Lakes District Council has adopted a plan to spread sewage sludge on land near Luggate despite strong opposition stopping a similar proposal in the Ardgour Valley, near Tarras, last year.

The $455,000 "biosolids" project is designed to reduce the cost of taking sludge to landfill, which costs about $213,000 annually and is forecast to rise by up to $40,000 by 2013.

The land application option, which would have a yearly monitoring expenditure of $36,460, was carried at yesterday's meeting of the council infrastructure services committee.

The council has received applications from two farm owners near Luggate who want to use sludge from Wanaka's Project Pure wastewater treatment plant on more than 600ha of their land.

Council solid waste manager Stefan Borowy would not identify the landowners or locations of the farms pending a directive from the committee.

Project Pure was discussed in a public excluded session after the committee meeting.

The council defines sludge as a byproduct of mechanical sewage treatment composed of about 80% organic content moisture, which can an contain trace elements and heavy metals.

Other options included in a report tabled to the committee were outlined although Mr Borowy and strategic project manager Martin O'Malley had chosen the application as the "recommended option."

Alternative solutions included "ag bag composting", which would require a covered concrete pad with a leachate collection and storage system.

The sludge would be mixed with shredded green waste and fed into a high-density polyethylene bag. After six weeks, the material would be screened and the fine compost material used by the Parks and Reserves team in gardens and reserves around the district.