The failure of a bid for the Queenstown Lakes District Council to release discharge wastewater overflows into iconic water bodies was "expected", Mayor Jim Boult says. The decision by independent commissioners Dr Rob Lieffering, Sharon McGarry and Philip Milne on behalf of the Otago Regional Council was released yesterday. Reasons for rejecting the application included the potential for "some overflows to have short lived but significant adverse effects on the environment". The commissioners said there was insufficient evidence to be able to determine the extent of adverse effects from future overflows. The regional council received 200 submissions in relation to the application, of which 197 were opposed, one was neutral and two were in support.

Source: Otago Daily Times December 20, 2019 14:26 UTC