Dye study marks start of project

23 May 2007

Dye study marks start of Lyttelton wastewater project

A pink plume swirling around the waters of Lyttelton Harbour in the next couple of days will mark the start of a significant project to overhaul wastewater treatment in the area.

The harmless Rhodamine dye tracer will be discharged from the wastewater outfall at Governors Bay as part of a dispersion study into the effects of treated wastewater discharges.

Contractor MWH is preparing reports for the Working Party set up under then Banks Peninsula District Council to address future options for wastewater management in Lyttelton, Governor’s Bay and Diamond Harbour.

The project has now been taken over by the Christchurch City Council, and Council staff have met with the Working Party to discuss timelines around consultation and decision-making.

Public consultation will be centred around two key stages – after MWH and Council presents the broad options to the Working Party in July; and again in February/March next year when a final report is presented to the Working Party with outline designs and costs of options selected in the first stage.

The Working Party is expected to make recommendations to the Council about the most efficient method of managing the wastewater by the end of January 2009.

Council has budgeted $13.5million for the project over several years, but Council Project Manager Matt Cummins cautioned that these figures are very preliminary and have been drawn from the former Banks Peninsula District Council’s estimates.

"We’ll have a better idea of the scope and likely costs of the project at the start of next year. In the meantime, we’ll be seeking public opinion on initial options in a few months and will go out with all the relevant information then," Mr Cummins said this week.

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