A human health risk assessment was one of three things Otago Regional Council acting consents manager Alexandra King said the council was waiting on.
The council was also seeking additional information on manufactured chemicals in groundwater and surface water, and eco-toxicology samples, Ms King said.
With the Green Island landfill’s consent due to expire in October, the Dunedin City Council applied to extend its use-by date in April last year.
However, the regional council put the city council’s application on hold the following month as it sought more information.
The regional council was then given a timeline from the city council indicating the further information would be supplied in stages, Ms King said.
Late last year, the city council said it expected to complete its Green Island application early this year.
Consent to operate the landfill did expire in October, but the Resource Management Act (RMA) allows for consent holders to continue to exercise existing consents while applying for replacement ones.
In May 2022, city council chief executive Sandy Graham told commissioners at the hearing for Green Island’s presumed successor, the planned Smooth Hill landfill, at Brighton, the council was actively progressing consents to extend the life of the Green Island landfill on its existing footprint.
That hearing was adjourned so the council could do a human health risk assessment for the Smooth Hill landfill after an expert submitter identified it as missing.
Asked if the regional council could decline the city council’s application, Ms King did not answer the question directly.
"A decision cannot be made to approve or decline the application at this stage of the consent process," she said.
"The next step is for a decision on notification to be made."
Nevertheless, in the agenda for tomorrow’s city council meeting, it is assumed that, for the purposes of preparing the 10-year plan, an extension for the Green Island landfill will be granted.
Amid a list of significant forecasting assumptions for the plan it said an extension of the Green Island landfill’s existing resource consents had been applied for.
"It is assumed that the extension will be granted, enabling its continued use during the construction of the new Smooth Hill landfill."
It noted the timing of a decision on the consent extension was uncertain.
There could be delays or increased costs due to consenting issues, it said.
"If an extension to the Green Island landfill resource consent is not granted, alternative waste disposal options would need to be implemented, with increased costs."
