Source: Federated Farmers
Federated Farmers is applauding the news that a consent to dump treated urban effluent in rural Otago will now be put back under the microscope.
Otago Regional Council (ORC) has announced it will be reviewing SJ Allen Holdings’ consent to discharge Wānaka’s wastewater sludge at a property in the community of Lauder.
“This is a major win for the voice of rural New Zealand,” Federated Farmers Otago president Anna Gillespie says.
“Federated Farmers has been front and centre of opposition to the dumping of urban sludge in Lauder, and we’re really pleased with this result.
“The people of Lauder – and from all around Otago – have been disgusted by the arrogant attitude of Queenstown Lakes District Council, which assumes it’s fine to truck town sludge out of their own district and heap it on a small rural community.
“That’s despite senior council representatives knowing the farm is in the sensitive Manuherekia catchment, and being fully aware of the potential risk to the environment.
“ORC should never have issued this consent, but I do thank them for now recognising the widespread concerns and environmental risk by initiating a review.”
ORC says the legislation gives it 20 days to review the consent conditions, and also to decide whether the review should be notified or not.
Federated Farmers Otago strongly urges notification, which would allow public input and make the process more transparent – something that’s been seriously lacking up to this point, Gillespie says.
“Just one of the reasons farmers and others have been so angered by what’s happened is that the original consent application was discussed and decided in-house by ORC, with no hearing or invitation for submissions.
“So, when news broke that trucks were rolling into Lauder to begin dumping up to 2000 tonnes of wastewater sludge a year in their neighbourhood, it was a complete surprise – and a very unwelcome one.”
Gillespie says the process this time must be open and give the wider community a chance to be heard.
“ORC should get on with what it needs to do based on legislation, and robust science and impact assessments.
“It needs to happen promptly though, as the the environmental risk to this catchment increases the longer this material continues to be dumped at the Lauder site.
“Ideally, Federated Farmers Otago wants to see the Lauder consent cancelled and Otago’s councils to begin a proper investigation of ways to deal with urban effluent within their own boundaries.
“Getting the consent conditions reviewed is a great result but, ultimately, we need them to go further and revoke it completely.”