An interim solution to the health problems caused by Cardrona's problematic wastewater and drinking water systems has been accepted by the Queenstown Lakes District Council.
There have been large outbreaks of norovirus in Cardrona in recent years, when sewage has contaminated the water supply.
Councillors agreed on Tuesday to buy the privately owned schemes in the village as soon as possible and upgrade them to improve water quality, until a pipeline is built in about four years to take wastewater from Cardrona to the Wanaka treatment plant at the airport.
Councillors ratified a decision by the Wanaka Community Board last month to buy the Baxter 2009 wastewater treatment plant and disposal field - which services houses on Miners Rise - and the village's water treatment plant.
The council's chief engineer, Ulrich Glasner, said the Baxter scheme had capacity for the Cardrona Hotel to connect to it.
This would solve a major problem for the hotel, as the Otago Regional Council had signalled its wastewater disposal consent was unlikely to be extended when it expired next year.
Cardrona's unreliable services were also inhibiting development in the village, Mr Glasner told councillors, and the Baxter plant had capacity for up to 17 new house connections.
Cardrona's ski areas, the Mt Cardrona Station subdivision - which has consent for up to 1500 houses or units and some businesses - the Benbrae resort and the village's existing houses would continue to use their septic tanks systems until the pipeline was built.
Council staff told elected members the contamination risk posed by the Benbrae wastewater scheme would be reduced by upgrading the village's water treatment plant and greater monitoring of the Benbrae system by the regional council.
While the pipeline going ahead was dependent on financial support from Cardrona Alpine Resort and Mt Cardrona Station, work on the route was already under way, with affected landowners having been spoken to.
However, Mr Glasner's report said the interim solution gave the council time to consider whether a pipeline was the best option, or if a new treatment plant at Cardrona was preferable.
The council's long term plan 2015-25, which it adopted on Tuesday, allows just over $4 million for the Cardrona improvements.
However, this amount was insufficient, Mr Glasner said, and would need to be adjusted when the plan was reviewed. Nearly $1.5 million would be brought forward to fund the interim solution.
by Jessica Maddock
