West Coast Regional Council abatement notices amended

Buller District Council (BDC) has welcomed the West Coast Regional Council’s (WCRC) decision to cancel the abatement notice for the Reefton Wastewater Treatment Plant and extend the timeframe for the Westport notice while further upgrades are completed.

WCRC confirmed that the Reefton abatement notice was cancelled on 7 August, stating that all conditions of the notice have been complied with.

In Westport, WCRC has extended the abatement notice timeframe by six months, to 31 January 2027, to allow further time for upgrades and compliance work to be completed.

BDC Group Manager Infrastructure Services Anthony Blom says the outcomes recognise the progress made by council staff, contractors and technical advisers, and acknowledges that some wastewater improvements require careful design, procurement and installation.
“We take our wastewater consent responsibilities seriously. The cancellation of the Reefton notice reflects the work completed to address the immediate requirements there.”

“For Westport, the extended timeframe gives us the practical space to complete the remaining upgrades properly and to continue reducing stormwater entering the wastewater network.”

In Reefton, council replaced an underperforming pump and is progressing further upgrades, including improved flow measurement, monitoring and pumping controls. The wider Reefton resource consent renewal programme is also underway.

As part of the Westport works, council has completed pump and control improvements at the Pakington Street Pump Station. Work is continuing at Rintoul Street Pump Station, including pump replacement or refurbishment, with further monitoring and operational improvements also underway.

Council is also progressing its longer-term programme to reduce stormwater infiltration and inflow into the Westport wastewater network. This includes stormwater and wastewater separation, backflow prevention, telemetry, flow monitoring and associated network improvements. The work is funded and planned as a staged programme over the next 10 years.

Mr. Blom says council will continue to work closely with WCRC and provide regular progress updates through its live Wastewater Consents Summary and Action Plan.

“The action plan gives us a clear, accountable programme of work across our wastewater systems. We will keep it updated as work progresses, including clear ownership and timeframes, and will continue to engage constructively with WCRC and iwi.”

Buller District Council has proposed regular bi-monthly wastewater compliance meetings with WCRC, alongside existing consents-related engagement with iwi and WCRC.

These meetings would review progress, upcoming actions, monitoring, operational matters and any further consent requirements.

-ENDS-

For further information please contact:
Community Engagement Team
Buller District Council
Media.Enquiries@bdc.govt.nz 

Disclaimer
The information in this media release was correct at time of publication. Changes in circumstances after the time of publication may impact on the accuracy of the information.