Ocean Outfall closer as Council lodges consents application

14 December 2004

The Christchurch City Council is a step closer to removing the city’s wastewater discharge from the Avon-Heathcote Estuary, as signalled by strong  public opinion and the Environment Court.

Christchurch Deputy Mayor Carole Evans will formally hand the City Council’s resource consent application, which seeks consent to build an Ocean Outfall 3km into Pegasus Bay, to Canterbury Regional Council (ECan) Chairman, Sir Kerry Burke, at 9am, Fiday 17 December, on the ECan Offices doorstep, 58 Kilmore Street.

The chairman of the Avon-Heathcote Ihutai Trust, Alex Drysdale, and the chairman of the Christchurch Estuary Association, Murray Sim, have been invited  to witness the formal handover.

Presenting the consent application to ECan marks the culmination of various investigations to prepare an Assessment of Environmental Effects (AEE) for the Ocean Outfall - a major part of the consent application presented by Cr Evans.

The full AEE will be available on the www.ccc.govt.nz/haveyoursay/oceanoutfall/ City Council web site from 20 December. The AEE indicates consultant URS’s findings regarding the Ocean Outfall’s likely impact on the surrounding environment.

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