Statement attributable to General Manager Regulatory, Richard Saunders:

The Otago Regional Council (ORC) has decided to publicly notify the Dunedin City Council’s (DCC) consent application for activities associated with the proposed new landfill at Smooth Hill. ORC determined that adverse effects from the associated activities warranted public notification, and the notification decision was made by an independent decision maker.

The application will be notified for public submissions today, 18 September, in the Otago Daily Times and on ORC’s website.

Anyone will be able to make a submission until 5pm on Monday, 15 November. Any decision on if or when a hearing will be held, and who may decide the outcome of the application, will follow the close of submissions.

The Resource Management Act 1991 sets out clearly the process for resource consent applications, and ORC will continue to follow this process.

DCC’s application (RM20.280) is for the following activities associated with the proposed Smooth Hill landfill:

• Discharge Permit to discharge waste and leachate onto land, and discharge landfill gas, flared exhaust gases, dust and odour to air, and to discharge water and contaminants from an Attenuation Basin and sediment retention ponds, for the purpose of the construction and operation of a Class 1 landfill.
• Water Permit to take of up to 87 m³/day of groundwater, and use of up to 50 m³/day of groundwater, for the purpose of managing groundwater collected beneath a Class 1 landfill.
• Water Permit to divert surface water within the Ōtokia Creek catchment for the purpose of the construction and operation of a Class 1 landfill and associated road realignment works.
• Water Permit to dam water within an Attenuation Basin for the purpose of the construction and operation of a Class 1 landfill.
• Land Use Consent to alter, reclaim, and place structures on, the bed of waterbodies and wetlands for the purpose of road realignment works.

All information on the consent application and submission process is now available.