Investigations into incidents on the Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) wastewater site at Shotover are ongoing to ensure that QLDC achieves compliance with consent conditions which cover the operation of the wastewater site. 

ORC’s mandate is to work with our communities to make sure our region’s natural resources are managed sustainably. 

Our consents and compliance work has four aspects: 

Processing consents: we use consents to manage activities so that any harm they may have on our communities, or the environment is reduced. 

Monitoring compliance: we monitor activities to make sure they don’t have unexpected negative effects on the environment. 

Responding to incidents: we respond to reports of environmental non-compliance and pollution incidents. 

Enforcing: we consider all available options to ensure compliance with the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA), resource consents, our regional plans, and national regulations and standards. 

The Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) sets out how we should manage our environment and is the foundation for most of our work. Our compliance and investigations teams enforce the Act by monitoring resource consents, checking activities comply with regional plan rules and using enforcement tools when conditions are breached. 

In this case, ORC is the consenting authority, and as such has requirements under the RMA to monitor consent compliance.  

The incidents on the site are ORC’s highest priority investigation and are being taken very seriously. All compliance investigation needs to be thorough and to a high standard and in undertaking their investigations ORC is ensuring this happens.  

As part of ongoing investigations ORC has sought technical specialist advice around the site since July 2024. 

As of 4 April, ORC has undertaken the following compliance actions:

2 x Abatement notices

• Requires actions within a certain timeframe. 

10 x Infringement notice 

• Written notice and fine (set as between $300-$1000 in the regulations). 

1 x Enforcement Order 

• Order by the Court requiring a person to take or stop actions within a set time. 

Regular Monitoring  

• ORC staff are onsite regularly to monitor the discharges and compliance.  
• As of 7 April, ORC will undertake weekly monitoring at Council’s SOE monitoring site on the Kawarua at Chard Road to weekly.  

As of 23 January 2025, ORC lodged an application with the Environment Court seeking an Enforcement Order against the QLDC around aspects of its operation of the Shotover Wastewater Treatment Plant, near Queenstown, which QLDC owns and operates. 

These proceedings are seeking an Enforcment Order from the Environment Court which will require QLDC to undertake a number of actions aimed at achieving compliance on site.  

Any future compliance action relating to issues with the discharge would occur in line with ORC’s Compliance and Enforcement Policy and the tools available to the Council under the Resource Management Act 1991.

We regularly undertake testing to monitor compliance with consented limits and conditions. This occurs at a standard series of locations to enable trend data to be collected. Testing includes investigation of E. coli – Escherichia coli, BOD – Biochemical Oxygen Demand, TN – Total Nitrogen, and TSS – Total Suspended Solids. 

The samples are analysed based on consents parameters, and, where appropriate, other parameters used to detect wastewater.  

If we are responding to an incident on site, samples are taken from regular sites and other locations as needed.  

Sampling is completed by ORC staff in line with sampling procedures and analysed in a private lab.  

QLDC are also required to undertaken monitoring under their consent conditions and return samples to ORC. This is analysed by a lab and then by ORC staff.   

Following QLDC’s decision to use powers under s330/330A of the RMA to undertake emergency works at the Shotover Wastewater Treatment Plant, a revised sampling schedule has been stood up, alongside more frequent monitoring.  

Revised sampling sites :

1.    Upstream entirely of the Shotover WWTP and ponds (before the SH6 bridge)
2.    Final discharge post-UV
3.    Discharge to the river (at the last realistic and safe point)
4.    Approximately 20 meters downstream
5.    Any discharge from the disposal field, if still discharging.
6.    Upstream of Kawarau River
7.    Downstream of Kawarau River (past Shotover river)

Existing State of the Environment Monitoring data is available on the Environmental Data Portal for Kawarau at Chard Road   

Coming soon: additional, weekly, monitoring data will be available shortly. Check back soon for a new (under-development) dashboard. 

QLDC is the plant owner and operator and must comply with their consent obligations and take actions on the site to do this. This includes monitoring or discharges which QLDC are required to undertake and return to ORC.

QLDC Consent Conditions are available here: https://maps.orc.govt.nz/OtagoViewer232/?map=2b72476ec76446cf8270dad325952215

The discharge to the Shotover is being undertaken via Emergency Works provisions provided under s330 of the RMA. This means that there is not currently a consent or application in place for this activity with specific limits. QLDC must apply for one within 20 working days of notifying ORC of emergency works.  

When a consent application is received that relates to the emergency works, or any other short-term application for the site then we will know more about how the discharge will be managed. It is anticipated that the quality of the wastewater is still highly treated and complying with relevant post treatment limits. We continue to monitor the site and water quality. 

If and when an application is received and accepted for processing by ORC, a notification assessment will be undertaken to determine whether the application can be processed on a non-notified basis, or whether it should be limited notified or proceed with full public notification. 

Further information from QLDC: QLDC Information Page