Discharge opposed

Press, 1 May 1981, Page 4

Discharge opposed

Discharge of treated meat wastes into the south branch of the Waimakariri River would overload the river with wastes, a water rights

hearing was told in Christchurch yesterday. The chief executive officer of the North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society, Mr B. F. Webb said that the south branch was already receiving more than its maximum load of pollution discharge from the two Canterbury Frozen Meat outfalls below Dickeys Road. The North Canterbury Catchment Board's water committee was hearing an application by the North Canterbury Wool' and Fellmofigery Co., Ltd, to discharge treated meat wastes into the river.

The general manager of the company, Mr G. F. Scott, said that the fellmongery waste would be treated on the site and would then be discharged to the C.F.M’s pipe line. The quality and quantity of the waste would be checked.

"Further down the pipeline we would take out the same quantity of effluent as had been put ■ in. This would be treated at the Drainage

Board's old Belfast treatment plant site, and then discharged to the south branch." he said.

The effluent placed in the pipeline would already be treated to the level required by the Drainage Board for the planned Christchurch North industrial waste treatment plant, Mr Scott said. The Drainage Board has agreed to allow, the company to discharge to the new plant.

Counsel for the fellmongery company, Mr D. M. Palmer said that if the company did not go back into business quickly, it would close, down. i

The investigating officer of the North Canterbury Catchment Board. Mr R. B. Ayrey, said that the -quantity and nature of the wastes which the company proposed to discharge would- only nominally increase the pollution load on the south branch. The committee s decision was reserved.