Bluff's wastewater consent is coming up for expiry, prompting robust discussions around the Invercargill City Council table. Photo: Otago Daily Times / Supplied
Invercargill mayor Nobby Clark says he would rather operate Bluff's wastewater network on an expired consent than "gallop ahead" of water reforms.
The comments were made at a council meeting this week where the small town's impending wastewater changes were discussed.
Treated discharge is currently released into Foveaux Strait through an outfall pipe, but the consent for that operation expires in December 2025.
Moving forward, the preferred option is to continue discharging into the sea with an additional step of passing waste through a wetland.
Clark has been a dissident voice during discussions about the consent, and this week issued a warning about moving too quickly.
"It is my intention that we should not be galloping ahead of advice that's coming from the water regulator (Taumata Arowai) in March next year," Clark said.
"I think it would be reckless for us to jump ahead."
Clark claimed there were about 50 plants around the country operating on expiring consents, and said it was "not the end of the world" to do so.
Council chief executive Michael Day warned the council against delaying decision on committee recommendations beyond November because doing so would leave the council in a race against time.
Operating the plant outside of consent would be unprecedented, he said.
Council group manager infrastructure Erin Moogan said she had been in contact with Taumata Arowai and the Department of Internal Affairs, and although new standards were expected to be released in March, they would likely not be finalised until August next year.
Deputy mayor Tom Campbell and councillor Lesley Soper both expressed a desire for the wastewater issue to be discussed further in November.
Clark was agreeable to that, but said he wanted to make it clear a decision would not be made next month.
Changes to the way wastewater is delivered into Foveaux Strait have been backed by the Bluff Community Board, Te Ao Marama and Te Rūnaka o Awarua. In an October 7 letter penned by the rūnaka to the council, manager Gail Thompson wrote that discussions had reaffirmed a preference for discharge onto land instead of the ocean.
However, with the cost of doing so being outside budget, the rūnaka backed the working group's recommendation of discharging to the ocean via a wetland.
The rūnaka's support was dependent on several conditions, including a feasibility assessment, compliance assurance, assessment on the state of mahinga kai/kaimoana at Ocean Beach and extending the 50 metre discharge pipe.
The whole-of-life cost for the wetland option has been listed at more than $15 million.
- LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air