Otago Regional Council will review a disputed consent allowing treated human waste from Wānaka to be spread on farmland near Lauder, after finding inaccuracies in the original application, RNZ reports.
The consent, granted without public notification in January to SJ Allen Holdings, a contractor for Queenstown Lakes District Council, angered locals worried about their water, their health and a lack of consultation. A council report said the errors meant the environmental effects were not properly assessed and had materially influenced the decision.
The review will look at discharge and soil contamination limits, the disposal area and groundwater monitoring. It is expected to cost the contractor about NZ$80,000, but work can continue meanwhile. Federated Farmers Otago president Anna Gillespie called the move a major win for rural New Zealand.
Source: RNZ