Press Release

PNCC in denial over river

27 September 2011
Dr. Chris Teo-Sherrell
PN City Councillor

Three months on from the official launch of the Manawatu River Accord Action Plan, we are seeing one of the major polluters of the river continue to try to muddy the waters over its failure to protect river life.

At last night’s Council meeting, the Mayor prevented an attempt by Councillor Chris Teo-Sherrell to defer the adoption of the Council’s Annual Report until the end of October.

Dr Teo-Sherrell says “This would have given us the opportunity to clarify, for those still in doubt, whether the PNCC wastewater discharge is adversely affecting river life or not and so make only fully accurate statements in the report*.”

“Instead, there are statements in the report about the wastewater treatment that are contradictory at best and misleading at worst. This continues a pattern seen in the previous year’s annual report,” says Dr Teo-Sherrell.

The PNCC’s own report on the effect of the wastewater discharge on the aquatic life in the river, prepared by MWH, shows that the discharge is harming aquatic life in the river by changing the species composition.

Yet PNCC’s Annual Report states that Horizons has assessed the discharge as compliant. This is a false statement. Horizons has pointed out PNCC’s failure to meet condition 3(f) of its discharge consent which states that the ‘discharge shall not cause significant adverse effects on aquatic life’.

“PNCC agreed with Horizons on the methodology for the MWH report and now, when it doesn’t seem to like the result, is questioning things.”

Furthermore, PNCC knew that its treatment plant wasn’t doing a good enough job as early as 2009, even 4 months after its phosphorus removal plant was put into operation. An interim report was provided to PNCC by MWH in February 2009.

Notes: * Local authority annual reports do not have to be adopted until 4 months after the end of the financial year (making the deadline the end of October).

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