Council chief executive Steve Hill said the Otago Regional Council notified him verbally of the charges on May 28, and he expected to receive formal papers today.
Because the matter is before the courts, neither council would speak about the charges in any detail, but Clutha Mayor Bryan Cadogan said he was ‘‘disappointed’’ by the situation.
‘‘While we are disappointed to find ourselves in this position ... I look forward to proceedings shedding light on the issues and hope it will enable us all to better understand what happened, and lay the foundations to a constructive resolution.’’
ORC chief executive Sarah Gardner confirmed the prosecution related to sewage overflows.
‘‘Following a significant investigation, ORC is taking enforcement action in relation to discharges of wastewater to the environment.’’
In March, an ORC review revealed issues with all 11 of Clutha’s wastewater treatment plants.
They included excessive discharge, elevated contaminants, regular pond overflows, excessive system inflow and infiltration, wetland deficits, control software issues and health and safety concerns.
At the time, Mr Hill said the total cost to fix the plants would ‘‘significantly’’ exceed an initial $1 million earmarked for that.
Yesterday, he said a final cost remained to be estimated.
He said many of the upgrades now planned would have occurred as part of regular maintenance, and ultimately would be paid for by ratepayers via long-term loans.
The council was conducting an internal inquiry.
Mr Hill said it would decide whether to make findings public only at the inquiry’s completion.
