The Clutha district is already planning to spend a step-change $27million on its core infrastructure next year — now a long, expensive process awaits its unfit wastewater treatment plants.
Clutha District Council chief executive Steve Hill told the Otago Regional Council’s regulatory committee in Dunedin this week the Clutha council was in "crisis management" mode to deal with the issue that had worsened since late last year.
After non-compliance issues were identified at Clutha’s five sustainability-focused BioFiltro wastewater treatment plants in December, next year’s draft annual plan had $1million earmarked as an "initial stab" to deal with those plants.
On Wednesday, ORC regulatory general manager Richard Saunders advised the ORC regulatory committee all 11 Clutha treatment plants were in significant non-compliance with their consents.
There was no immediate fix, Mr Hill said.
The work required to achieve compliance across the board would have "significant cost implications".
There was no budget in place for the work as yet, but it would be ongoing and would become part of the next long-term plan process.
"We can't quantify it at this stage," Mr Hill said on Wednesday.
"That's part of the work we're working through.
"I’m assembling the troops tomorrow."
He was personally managing his council’s response — it would require both in-house and outside help.
Clutha Mayor Bryan Cadogan said he knew about the issues at its BioFiltro wastewater treatment plants before the new year.
But learning there were significant compliance issues at all 11 Clutha wastewater treatment plants just last week was "the biggest kick" he had taken in his 22-year political career.
"Today I stand before you with my head down, I'm absolutely disgusted," he said.
He had been checking on affected waterways and he believed he was seeing improvements.
After the first five Clutha treatment plants were found to be non-compliant, the regional council launched an Otago-wide audit and Mr Saunders confirmed while Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes district councils had registered significant non-compliance, those were process issues and were not causing environmental impacts, nor subject to a formal investigation.
The Clutha District Council is conducting its own investigation.
