• Media release

29 Oct 2024

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Southland District Council has confirmed the purchase of land near Winton.

Chief executive Cameron McIntosh said the purchase is a strategic land acquisition, a “pragmatic” course of action to enable any future potential use for the required upgrade of the Winton wastewater system.

The land parcel is about 5km east of Winton.

Mr McIntosh said under legislation enacted by the previous government, disposal of treated wastewater to land was the most like option for the planned Winton wastewater upgrade.

Existing discharge consents for Winton expired in 2023. Council obtained a five-year extension to enable it to carry out detailed investigation of options as well as community consultation. A new consent would need to be in place by 2028, under the legislation in place at the time.

Council has previously contracted GHD Limited to identify viable options for wastewater treatment systems for Winton and surrounding communities. At the time discharging treated wastewater to water sources was not considered viable, and therefore discharge to land had to be considered.

The community and key stakeholders, including residents, iwi, businesses and visitors, were engaged with in 2022, and the option considered most viable was to construct a treatment facility at the existing Winton ponds and pump the treated wastewater for disposal to nearby land.

However, the government has recently signalled changes in legislation that would affect rules and regulations around wastewater discharge.

Mr McIntosh said until there was clarity around the current government’s direction Council’s decision to land bank was a sensible one. “We’re looking forward to having common-sense rules around future consents.”

Until details of the new legislation are known, Council is unable to proceed with the next stage of the project. In the meantime, Winton’s wastewater will continue to be treated on the current site.

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