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Otago Daily Times
4 days ago
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Otago rivers by and large ‘in really good state'
A container sits in Otokia Creek at Dunedin's Brighton Beach as the creek goes to sea. The area is the only coastal site monitored by the Otago Regional Council that has a long-term grade of "poor" due to elevated bacteria levels. Previous investigations have identified avian sources for the contamination. There are an additional four freshwater sites with "poor" long-term grades, the council says. PHOTO: GERARD O'BRIEN Otago's rivers are by and large "in a really good state", the latest summer recreation report card says. Otago Regional Council science and resilience committee co-chairman Gary Kelliher said this year's recreational water quality annual report showed the region had healthy waterways. "By and large our rivers are in a really good state and we are able to enjoy them generally most of the time. "So I think it's a good report card - I would hope that would be the case." The council's contact recreation monitoring programme assessed recreational water quality at swimming spots weekly between December and March each year, a report to the committee said. Faecal bacteria Escherichia coli, at freshwater sites, and enterococci, at coastal sites, were measured as an indication of the presence of pathogens that could cause illness in swimmers. Last summer, 509 routine samples were taken and analysed for 32 sites - 93% of the results showed the water was safe for swimming at the time the sample was taken, the report said. For 14 samples across 12 sites, bacteria concentrations indicated the site was unsafe to swim at at the time of sampling and a health warning was issued, it said. Another 17 results across seven sites met the criteria for the council to advise caution, it said. Long-term E. coli grades for freshwater sites showed 67% of freshwater swimming spots were either "excellent" or "good". Four sites were graded as "poor" - the Taieri River at Waipiata, the Taieri River at Outram, the Waikouaiti River at Bucklands and the Manuherikia River at Shaky Bridge. Among coastal sites, 88% were graded "excellent/very good", or "good" and just one site, Otokia Creek at Brighton, was graded "poor". Previous investigations had identified avian sources for the contamination at Otokia Creek, the report said. The long-term grade for the Pacific Ocean at Tomahawk Beach west improved from "fair" to "good". The site was monitored by the Dunedin City Council as part of the consent requirements for the Tahuna wastewater treatment plant, the report said. "The grade change can be attributed to several elevated results in the 2019-20 season not being included in the latest five-year period, and two years with no exceedances in the current period," it said. — APL
Otago Daily Times
21-05-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Inland port competition fears
Port Otago competing with Calder Stewart to establish an inland port could have a "serious impact" on the Otago Regional Council's financial position, a regional councillor says. Calder Stewart last week proposed what it called a "$3 billion" inland port at its 200ha Milburn site, near Milton. The Clutha-based construction giant's announcement came days before a proposed Port Otago-Dynes Transport inland port at Mosgiel got a major boost from Regional Development Minister Shane Jones in the form of an up to $8.2 million loan from the government's Regional Infrastructure Fund. The back-to-back announcements prompted debate and uncertainty, which was picked up on at a full council meeting yesterday. Port Otago is 100% owned by the regional council and Cr Gary Kelliher raised concerns about what would be a "a very sizable, very substantial investment" if the two projects went head to head. "It could have a very serious impact on our balance sheet if both of these projects go together. "And there are obvious issues appearing with the Mosgiel one already." After the meeting, he said the main issue he was concerned about was transport related "and the heavy traffic" that would be added to the local roading network if or when the Mosgiel port was established. "Also, that the Milton port has kind of appeared out of the blue — but these are possibly both billion-dollar projects and the Port Otago balance sheet will be carrying the development proposed by Port Otago," Cr Kelliher said. "As ORC owns Port Otago I am immediately concerned that there are now two proposals advancing, both saying they are proceeding with knowledge of each other, and really there's only need for one. "I think an inland port is a really good idea, but surely both proposals need to be aligned into one that meets the total needs and allays the concerns of Mosgiel residents about increased heavy traffic." At the meeting, Cr Michael Laws said Otago was but "one region with limited resources" and asked whether the two proposed facilities would be in competition. "Is Shane Jones right when he says it's frustrating that there wasn't some coalescing of minds in the region before what seems to be two competitive proposals are placed against each other?" Cr Kate Wilson, who is chairwoman of the Otago regional transport committee, said she wanted to assure people "that regional planning is going well in Otago and Southland". "And the idea that inland ports aren't planned for is incorrect. "The place to find that stuff is in the regional transport plan. "And while companies can compete, well and truly outlined in there is an option that businesses will in the end, or the market, will fix the solutions." Council chairwoman Cr Gretchen Robertson said the council was regularly briefed by Port Otago on its programme of works and another briefing was due "reasonably soon". There was also a process through the port company's issuing of a statement of corporate intent where councillors could tell the company how they expected it to operate, she said. "There's always competition in any business — that's healthy — and it's not our place to dictate that, I don't think," Cr Robertson said.
