The QLDC has lodged a 170-page application with the Central Otago District Council to store and discharge up to 2000cu m of sludge on a 3500ha Ardgour Rd property each year.
Solid waste derived from raw sewage would be transported from the Wanaka wastewater treatment plant and stored on an uncovered concrete pad at the Tarras property. Once a year it would be applied to paddocks within the farm property, owned by Wanaka residents Bruce and Linda Jolly.
Consent was being sought until at least 2045, when it was predicted up to 165 tonnes of sludge would have to be discharged from the Wanaka plant each month.
At present about 70 tonnes of treated sewage sludge from the plant was discharged to Victoria Flats landfill each month, at a dumping cost to the QLDC of $229 per tonne.
Mr Jolly said he would benefit from "free fertiliser" being delivered to his property at the QLDC's cost, and in turn the council would not have to pay dumping fees.
He said the dry soil on his farm was in need of anything which could boost its water retention capacity, and sludge had been proven to do that elsewhere in the world.
"Going by the experts' opinions that have been given from various fields, it [sludge] is a very good soil restorer, hence my interest as a farmer. Putting a resource like that into landfill seems a waste," he said.
Mr Jolly said the dryness of soil on his property would also minimise the risk of leaching, but neighbouring land owners had mixed feelings about the proposal.
Ardgour Rd farmers Beau and Ann Trevathan, who own and live on about 140ha of land which borders the Jolly's section, were worried about potential adverse effects of the sludge storage and discharge nearby.
Mr and Mrs Trevathan farm beef and venison on their property, and said they would make a submission to the CODC opposing the application.
"There are major concerns with regional councils over dairy effluent going back on land and finishing up in waterways. If there was going to be something floating down my stream I would prefer for it to have gone through a cow rather than a human," Mr Trevathan said.
Although the sludge would be stored at least 50m from the Trevathan's boundary and various conditions of consent were proposed to mitigate potentially adverse effects, there were too many "unknowns", Mr Trevathan said.
"Even if someone gave us all the evidence to suggest there would be no side-effects from a nuclear reactor across the fence, it would still be a worry," he said.
Mr Trevathan said the long-term impact on property valuations, potential for subdivision, and continued creation of lifestyle blocks in the area was also not known.
Thomson Gorge Rd resident John Morrison said his was probably the nearest dwelling to the proposed sludge storage site.
Mr Morrison, who grows peonies on his 10ha section, said he doubted the sludge would be a problem.
"We haven't got much trouble with it at this stage, simply because I don't believe that the material itself would cause too much hardship or distress where it's being stored and applied. The sludge is no different from our septic tank discharge that we put on the peonies," he said.
Mr and Mrs Jolly employed a stock manager who lived on the Tarras section, about 4km from the intersection of Ardgour Rd and State Highway 8, and 1.3km south of the Lindis River.
It had been farmed by the Jolly family for more than 50 years, and the sheep on site at present would continue to be grazed there regardless of whether sludge was stored and discharged on the land.
Mr Jolly said it would be applied to paddocks during August or September each year, six months after which stock would be allowed to graze on that land.
THE APPLICATION
> Who: Queenstown Lakes District Council (applying for consent to the Central Otago District Council).
> What: Storage and discharge of up to 2000cu m (2000 tonnes) of treated sewage sludge derived from raw sewage at the Wanaka Wastewater Treatment Plant.
> Where: Wanaka residents Bruce and Linda Jolly's 3500ha property at Tarras, fronting Ardgour Rd and Thomson Gorge Rd.
> When: Until at least 2045, when it is expected 165 tonnes of sludge will have to be discharged from the Wanaka plant each month (at present about 70 tonnes is discharged per month).
> Why: Dumping to Victoria Flats landfill near Queenstown costs the QLDC $229 per tonne, is not deemed sustainable and takes up landfill space.
> Action: Submissions must be lodged to the CODC by 4pm May 20.
