The sewerage plant at Seacliff is also being upgraded, but one of the area’s residents has called for some work there to be suspended amid concern about a possible increased risk of slips.
A Dunedin City Council spokesman said an upgrade of the treatment plant for the coastal settlement north of Dunedin would deliver a much-improved service for the area and ensure compliance with new consent requirements.
"The existing consent has now expired, but temporarily trucking wastewater to Dunedin for treatment and disposal also allows us to accelerate work to upgrade the plant, which is a good outcome," he said.
"Our existing wastewater network can accommodate the small additional quantities coming from Seacliff."
On Thursday morning last week, Seacliff resident and geoscientist Alex McAlpine staged a one-man protest outside the project’s work site, highlighting misgivings about land stability.
Dr McAlpine had earlier outlined his concerns to the Waikouaiti Coast Community Board.
"For context, the Seacliff township was purposely founded on a relatively stable spur of land within a wider region of extreme land instability," he said.
The consent for increased discharge of treated wastewater closer to town, "and on the downhill flank of this spur, presents the real scenario of triggering more extensive landslide movement that could affect the township".
The council has said land instability in the area is a known issue and can be appropriately managed as part of the upgrade and plant operation.
It noted "some access problems" to the site last Thursday because of vehicles parked in the area, but these had been resolved.
