Court Urged to Decline Council’s Resource Consent

By HARPER, Rebecca

The Piopio community is “being held to ransom” by one group appealing to the Environment Court over a decision to discharge treated effluent into the Mokau River, says a councillor.

Earlier this month the Waitomo District Council was given the go- ahead by EW to discharge treated wastewater into the river because it was the best option for solving health concerns.

The plan is to build a reticulated sewerage system and treatment plant for the Piopio community, replacing the septic tanks which have caused serious health concerns in low-lying areas where they spill untreated sewage on to farmland.

An EW hearing committee approved a resource consent to allow highly treated wastewater to be discharged into the river despite local iwi objecting for cultural reasons.

But now one group has lodged an appeal with the Environment Court.

Mokau Ki Runga Regional Management Committee lodged the appeal, citing “irreversible adverse and negative effects on the Mauri and Mana of the Mokau River”.

The appeal also said the decision to discharge effluent would breach the Treaty of Waitangi and adversely affect river fisheries and birdlife.

The group wanted the resource consents declined and to be reimbursed for the costs of appealing.

Waitomo mayor Mark Ammon said any extra costs for the project were “not worthy of contemplation”.

Other options, such as land discharge or a pipeline to Te Kuiti, were costs the council and its ratepayers could not afford.

Cr Brian Hanna said it was frustrating and “mind boggling” to have 99.9 per cent of the community behind the scheme yet one group hold the whole community to ransom.

Waitomo District Council applied to itself last year for a land use consent to build the wastewater treatment plant on the corner of Moa and Tui Sts, Piopio.

It also applied to Environment Waikato for a resource consent to discharge treated wastewater from the proposed new wastewater treatment plant to the river.

The applications were considered at a joint Environment Waikato and Waitomo District Council hearing in Te Kuiti on April 7-8.

The committee decided the wastewater discharge proposal was the best option to address a significant risk to public health.

It was satisfied the council had undertaken a sound evaluation of the alternatives for wastewater disposal and had made an informed and reasoned decision on the most feasible and appropriate option.

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