Consent application response

The Otago Regional Council has received 164 submissions on a Queenstown Lakes District Council consent application to discharge wastewater overflows into fresh water, or on to land, for 35 years.

Regional council regulatory acting general manager Peter Winder said the submissions would be summarised, a panel of independent commissioners appointed and a hearing held before a ''robust'' decision was made.

The summary of submissions would be put on the council's website in the ''coming weeks'', Mr Winder said.

The number received did not count some late or incomplete submissions, which council staff were following up.

The district council's application said the overflows happened occasionally and could not be entirely prevented, but were not at present authorised under the Resource Management Act.

The main cause is the presence of foreign objects such as fats, sanitary items, wet wipes and building materials, or root intrusion from trees.

Freshwater bodies affected include Lakes Wakatipu, Wanaka, Hawea and Hayes, the Kawarau, Shotover, Clutha, Hawea, Cardrona and Arrow Rivers and Luggate Creek.

The deadline for public submissions was Friday.

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