Shannon's wastewater will soon be heading to land if negotiations are successful.

Horowhenua District Council chief executive David Ward has said a group would be brought together to identify potential sites and that he expected discussion to start soon.

"We would reasonably expect the first discussions to take place before the end of July."

At the Shannon wastewater consent hearing in April, the council wanted four years before it had to make the wastewater a land-based discharge, but submitters said they wanted it done in two years.

The wastewater treatment plant discharges treated wastewater into Stansell's Drain and the consent ran out in 2001.

Hearing chairwoman Christine Foster suggested that to show the community the council was listening it should look at tightening up its timeframes.

She questioned whether it was possible to do it in the desired time and was told that negotiations were already underway with Horizons Regional Council about leasing the Moutoa spillway to soak up the wastewater. The Moutoa spillway land is leased to several dairy farmers for grazing.

At the time, Horizons said any such proposal was premature.

Mr Ward said the district council was not in any negotiations with any other party to lease or purchase land.

He said there was more than $8 million in the kitty for completing the whole Shannon wastewater treatment project – "incorporating aspects of land purchase, design, consenting and development".

Horizons policy and consents manager Richard Munneke broached the subject of the district council entering into a contractual arrangement to buy land within two years at its long term plan submissions hearings in June.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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