Comments spark war of words over water

Former Environment Canterbury (ECan) chairman Sir Kerry Burke has slammed city leaders for their handling of the city's multibillion-dollar water resource.

However, Mayor Bob Parker hit back yesterday, calling Burke's attack "cynical and filled with misinformation".

In a scathing statement, Burke blasted recent claims from Parker that the ocean outfall project was one of his council's greatest achievements.

Burke said this contradicted the council's original stance on wastewater.

Parker and other city bosses were engaging in "remarkable political gymnastics" over water quality issues, he said.

Burke said the council's first preference was to continue discharging wastewater into the nearby estuary. It applied for a 35-year discharge consent but ECan gave it only five years, forcing the council to reluctantly build the ocean outfall project.

The council also risked contaminating the city's drinking water by advocating development over the unconfined city aquifer, Burke said.

That same attitude was shown in the recent "disappointing" decision to grant the council a fresh 15-year consent to discharge sewage into the Heathcote River.

"The city's pure water, apart from being a natural resource of national significance, is worth $2.4 billion a year to the Christchurch economy. There is no need to risk it, especially when the urban development strategy provides for Christchurch's growth over the next 30 or more years without expanding over the source of our water."

Burke said it understated the seriousness of the council's "conflicting positions" to call them disappointing.

Parker refuted that, saying the council had signalled "massive investment" in water management in its long-term council community plan.

This included big spending on infrastructure upgrades and reducing any overflows.

"We have set aside $200 million over the next 10 years to improve the city's ancient infrastructure, to help bring that infrastructure into the 21st century."

Parker said his council had moved more than any other to deal with wastewater and stormwater issues.

"We will end up with the best wastewater and stormwater systems of any city in the country when we are done. Nobody has done more to improve standards than this council and I'm very happy to stand by that."

- © Fairfax NZ News