Irrigators flay pipeline plan

A major irrigators’ group has criticised Oceania Dairy’s proposal to build a 7.5 kilometre-long pipeline to discharge up to 10 million litres a day of treated wastewater into the sea.

Waitaki Irrigators Collective (WIC), which represents an irrigated area of about 85,000 hectares across North Otago and South Canterbury, are among the 117 submissions to Environment Canterbury opposing the proposal. A further six support it and three neutral.

WIC says in its submission that Oceania Dairy is not following best practice.

‘‘Reading through the consideration of alternatives . . . leads us to believe that Oceania Dairy has never completed a comprehensive analysis of just how they will cope with the wastewater discharge from their factory, either in the past, or within this current application.

‘‘Our submission is that approving a 35-year consent to discharge contaminants into the ocean just pushes this operational issue to another receiving environment without looking at current practices and doing a comprehensive analysis of the options.’’

Oceania Dairy, owned by the Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group Co Ltd, wants to build the pipeline from its factory near Glenavy. It is expected to cost up to $20 million, and is proposed to be part of a major expansion of the factory’s operations.

WIC also believed Oceania Dairy’s application was contrary to expectations of the public, as ‘‘consumers and the wider community now expect higher levels of environmental protection than at any previous time’’.

‘‘Water quality is top of the mind for the New Zealand public.’’

The submission also says the WIC has observed the current irrigation practices used by Oceania Dairy, ‘‘as have members of the public driving by the factory’’ and it believes the practices have been inadequate.

‘‘At a minimum, we would expect Oceania Dairy to have an irrigation management plan that reflects best practice.

‘‘Particularly so when you consider the expertise and knowledge inherent in the resources available to an international company. It is not simply a question of irrigating in ‘dry weather’.’’

‘‘In these times of heightened sensitivity around environmental impacts stemming from primary industry, consent to discharge wastewater would seem contrary to all the positive environmental changes and investment occurring within our region,’’ WIC’s submission says.

Oceania Dairy’s supply and environment manager Shane Lodge has said any effects on the coastal marine environment would be ‘‘minimal’’.

Lodge has also said the option of being able to choose between and supplement Oceania’s current on-land wastewater disposal with an ocean outfall was a more sustainable wastewater practice than disposing of waste only onto the land or into the ocean.’’

A hearing on the proposal is set to take place later this year.

‘‘. . . consumers and the wider community now expect higher levels of environmental protection than at any previous time’’. Irrigators’ submission