Wastewater problems outlined

THE Clutha District Council has released further details of compliance issues with its wastewater plants.

The information was presented to the council’s service delivery committee during its meeting yesterday.

In March, issues with all 11 of its wastewater treatment plants were revealed after the Otago Regional Council conducted a review.

Clutha District Council chief executive Steve Hill said then, the total cost to fix would ‘‘significantly’’ exceed an initial $1 million earmarked.

No further costings were provided, but the challenges faced were detailed in yesterday’s report, presented by council operations manager Gareth Phillips.

Among the issues listed were excessive discharge, elevated contaminants, regular pond overflows, excessive system inflow and infiltration, wetland deficits, control software issues and health and safety concerns.

In one example, the wastewater treatment plant at Milton was exceeding suspended solids, nitrogen and E. coli in discharge water, and experiencing ‘‘regular’’ wet weather overflows.

Remedial work to its wetlands, which act as a filtering element, could cost more than $300,000 to fix.

In response to lengthy questioning from councillors, Mr Phillips said options for fixing current problems and ensuring lasting longterm compliance were being collated.

They would be presented for council decisions during a later meeting.

‘‘We’re committed to quickly resolving all wastewater . . . noncompliance through strong communication, technical solutions, rapid assessments, timely reporting and data acquisition,’’ he said.