Clyde man Russell Garbutt told the Otago Daily Times he was alerted to the possible dumping in May by people who had noticed an "offensive" smell in the area, which is above the Clyde lookout, on private land beside a reserve area known as the Clyde commonage.
He then visited the area himself and saw "evidence of human waste dumping", including sanitary products and toilet paper. More than a dozen people had subsequently told him of their concerns about the alleged dumping, including some who had seen trailers with portable toilets in the area.
Mr Garbutt then met an ORC staff member on June 13 to raise his concerns.
When contacted by the Otago Daily Times this week, ORC communications team leader Mark Peart said the ORC was investigating the issue.
"The matters you refer to in your questions [alleged septic tank waste dumping] are currently under investigation by ORC. While that investigation is under way, we are unable to comment."
Asked if the ORC had received complaints about the matter, Mr Peart said "we received a complaint which prompted us to initiate an investigation". He could not confirm if it was as "a result of communication with Russell Garbutt", or how long the investigation would take.
Mr Garbutt said when he met the ORC staff member in June he was told a Central Otago business had a consent to dispose of mud tank liquid, grease trap liquid and wineries liquid on the area of private land beside the Clyde commonage (septic tank waste was not included in the consent). Mr Garbutt said the staff member told him the ORC did not police the conditions of the consent, but relied on the consent holder to comply with them.
Mr Garbutt said the ORC staff member told him there was no danger of any consented or non-consented waste seeping into groundwater below the Clyde commonage.
He hoped the issue would be resolved, as the area was being promoted as a walkway and tourist attraction.
In peak summer he had heard of six to eight tankers a day being taken to the area. He did not know if they contained consented or unconsented waste, but said it was "not good" for that amount of consented waste to be disposed of near a public walkway.
The owner of the firm that holds the consent to dispose of waste there, Simon Spark, of S.J. Allen Holdings Ltd, said he preferred not to comment as a review of its consent was being discussed with the ORC.
