Otago Fish & Game environmental officer Nigel Paragreen said the organisation had agreed to a council-funded $6million upgrade at its Bullock Creek Hatchery Springs site eight years after contaminated stormwater began overflowing into the area from a neighbouring residential development.
"This is a legacy issue caused by past sloppy work by the QLDC and the developer. They are failing Bullock Creek, Lake Wānaka and the community."
The proposal would divert stormwater from the Alpha Series development site, through Fish & Game land, and discharge it to a soakage wetland in the Wānaka A&P Showground.
When the soakage overflowed, it would discharge to Middle Creek and into Lake Wānaka, diverting most stormwater away from Bullock Creek’s sensitive headwaters.
"We reached an agreement on the QLDC’s consent for the stormwater upgrade in good faith to address a significant environmental issue," Mr Paragreen said.
"A single line in the annual plan disrupts this momentum."
Due to begin next year, the stormwater upgrade has become one of many QLDC projects deferred into 2025 and beyond in order to allocate funds to other areas such as the $106 million leaky homes claims settlement.
Mr Paragreen said it seemed the QLDC had not considered the deferral against its own commitment to the environment.
In August 2022, Otago Regional Council issued the QLDC an abatement notice to cease discharge of stormwater resulting in flooding of Fish & Game land and a noticeable change in colour and visual clarity of the water in Bullock Creek.
Otago Fish & Game is preparing to appeal directly to the QLDC at an annual plan hearing due to take place in Wānaka on Monday.
The organisation will be joined by local environmental groups such as Friends of Bullock Creek, who have made submissions requesting the QLDC reconsider their position.
