Project on Track

The single largest project currently being delivered by the Queenstown Lakes District Council was given a further green light today, QLDC Mayor Clive Geddes said.

At a meeting in Queenstown the Full Council agreed on the process and contract type for the Wakatipu $42 million waste water to land disposal project (Project Shotover).

“Project Shotover is about the environment and the sustainable future of generations to come and it’s about planning for the pressure of growth but we also need to continue to make it very clear that once it is operational, it comes at an ongoing cost,’ Mr Geddes said.

The treatment plant (purification and removal of solids) and waste water disposal fields will be located in the current treatment ponds location, adjacent to the Shotover bridge.

“In many respects this is a significant undertaking and from today’s decisions we hope to tender this project in January next year and award the contract by July 2011,” Mr Geddes said.

Project Shotover would end the current practise of disposing treated wastewater into the Shotover and Kawarau Rivers. This followed the same principles as Project Pure, which already disposed Wanaka waste water to land. Wanaka ratepayers were subject to a rates increase in 2009 to meet the operational costs of Project Pure.

Today’s decision put the Wakatipu project ‘on track’ to be commissioned in late 2013. Although the Council had flagged Project Shotover widely, it was important that the community continued to be engaged and informed on progress.

The final cost would not be known until more work had been done but the Council wanted to ensure it came as no surprise.

“We have flagged in the 10-Year-Plan that it could potentially double wastewater rates for Queenstown from 2013. These are early projections and we hope it will be lower than that,” Mr Geddes said.

An estimated operating cost for the treatment plant of $2.3 million would lead to a rate of over $500 per household ($270 in 2009).

“Once we fully understand the cost to households then we will need to make that very clear so that our residents can plan for that cost in three to four years time,” Mr Geddes said.

Meanwhile the Council would continue to keep the community informed on Project Shotover progress.