PNRP provisions relating to treated wastewater discharges WWTP - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

PNRP provisions relating to treated wastewater discharge’s

WWTP consents in the Wairarapa

• Carterton, Martinborough, Greytown

and Featherston examples

• discharge of treated wastewater to

water with gradual reduction over time to land

• all have significant adverse effects on

waterbodies and Section 107 issues

Policy Framework

• NPSFM –maintain or improve water

quality

• PNRP – needs objectives and policies

to implement both maintenance and improvement

• RMA - Section 107 links in to this –

effects and intent of the plan

Objectives

• O23 – water quality maintained or

improved

• 024 – contact recreation and maori

customary use

• 025 – aquatic ecosystems
• bjective framework is good - needs to

work with policy framework for the ‘how’

Objectives - Discharges

• verall intent of the plan – discharge to

land over water (O49) and discharges

• f wastewater to water are reduced

(O50)

• these objectives go ‘one step’ towards

helping us improve water quality

P71- as notified

• critical policy for processing existing

WWTP discharges to water

• existing WWTP discharges,

discharging to water and all having significant adverse effects

• enables us to manage effects to an

acceptable level and meet intent of the plan

P71- as notified

• gave effects interpretation at a local

scale (s107)

• PNRP needs to help ‘pull effects up’ to

acceptable levels (s107, P71)

P71- as proposed

• makes it very difficult to improve water

quality – leads to legal arguments

• need to ensure no ‘degrade down to’

situation – not likely now but possible in future

P71 – issues with recent WWTP applications

• Martinborough and Greytown – had no

policy guidance – problematic

• Featherston example

Other policies

• P80(a) – limits, targets and standards

– needs P71 to define

• P70(a)(ii) – helpful to have limits for

conditions of consent to improve water quality – cant leave it to good management practice

• P67(e) as notified – worked well with

P71

New discharges versus existing discharges

• WWTP – have existing authorised

consents at time of lodging application for new resource consent

• However definition of new discharge

says ‘…or otherwise altered by a new resource consent’

• All ‘altered’– non-complying activities

New discharges versus existing discharges

• Section 42a proposed change to

definition of new discharge defines ‘in volume or contaminants’ but still says ‘or otherwise altered’

• ‘Altered’ - defaults to scale intensity,

character