Section 6 Appendices |He apititaka

In 2007, the Dunedin City Council (DCC) conducted an Assessment of Water and Sanitary Services within its district, as required by the Local Government Act 2002 (LGA). This assessment covered DCC-operated drinking water, wastewater and stormwater services, as well as public toilets, cemeteries and crematoria. It also included communities without DCC drinking water, wastewater or stormwater services that have 25 or more residents for over 60 days per year.

The DCC is legally obligated under the LGA, Schedule 10, Part 1 (6a), to identify and explain significant variations between its assessment of water and sanitary services and the proposals set out in the DCC’s Long Term Plan. The following summary outlines the variations since the Statement of Variation in Dunedin’s 10 Year Plan 2021-31.

Assumptions

Forecast capital expenditure budgets for water supply, wastewater and stormwater activities (the three waters) are based on asset condition assessments, performance, life, renewals, upgrades and servicing areas zoned for development in the Second-Generation District Plan (2GP) and Variation 2. Current projections indicate the population will continue to grow until 2044, reaching 148,100. Growth-related capital expenditure will be debt financed and funded by development contributions where appropriate.

The DCC is updating the 2007 Assessment of Water and Sanitary Services. Capital expenditure budgets in this 9 year plan include indicative funding for actions recommended by the assessment.

General

In 2024, the DCC completed Stage 4 of system planning for water, wastewater and stormwater systems. This planning assesses the entire system from source to disposal, enabling optimal long-term strategic decision-making. Outputs from system planning have informed development of the 9 year plan budgets.

Water supply

New regulatory requirements under the Water Services Act 2021 require increased capital expenditure to ensure water treatment plants and networks comply. This includes spend on monitoring, storage, and treatment process upgrades. Projects to enhance resilience of Dunedin’s water supply are ongoing. The refurbishment of Ross Creek reservoir is complete and upgrades to the Waikouaiti water treatment plant are ongoing. Installing a UV reactor at the West Taieri water treatment plant has enabled compliance with protozoa treatment rules.

A significant work programme under the ‘water supply resilience’ project in the 9 year plan aims to improve the resilience of the water supply against severe drought, catchment fire, or major pipeline or treatment plant failure. Measures include district zone metering for demand management and leak identification, investigating alternative sources, and increasing raw water storage.

Wastewater

Capital works are planned to renew critical plant assets at all metropolitan wastewater treatment plants. System planning has identified large-scale strategic investments for wastewater systems, including improvements to wet weather flow management, discharges quality, and a bioresources management improvement project. Upgrade work at the Seacliff wastewater treatment plant is complete. Planning continues for improvements to address cultural impacts and improve environmental outcomes at the community wastewater schemes in Middlemarch, Waikouaiti-Karitane and Warrington.

Stormwater

In 2024, significant work was completed to update and calibrate priority stormwater hydraulic models and assess the environmental impact of key discharges. Capital works in South Dunedin have been delayed pending community feedback and the outcomes of the South Dunedin Futures project. Capital works are proposed for Mosgiel during 2024-2032 to improve the performance of the existing network and pump stations with capacity issues while a long-term solution is confirmed. Watercourse projects are not funded in the 9 year plan, meaning that resolving issues in Bath Street will be the last project delivered under the current watercourse programme, joining Motu Street as a completed watercourse project.

Public toilets

The DCC intends to maintain its approach of ensuring sufficient public toilet facilities. Included in the 9 year plan is capital budget for the provision of a Changing Places Bathroom in the central city, and provision for replacing and/or the upgrade of existing public toilets.

Appropriate cleaning and maintenance through capital and operating budgets over the next nine years is being provided, in accordance with the findings of the DCC’s last assessment of water and sanitary services.

Cemeteries and crematoria

The DCC manages 20 cemeteries throughout the Dunedin area, although several cemeteries are closed to new burials (Andersons Bay Cemetery, East Taieri Cemetery, Northern Cemetery, Port Chalmers old cemetery, West Taieri and the Southern Cemetery).

Pandemic planning has been undertaken to ensure that the DCC can manage its burial services during an outbreak, and this planning is periodically reviewed.

A cemetery capacity analysis has been undertaken to identify potential sites suitable for an urupā within DCC’s existing cemeteries. DCC will be engaging with Te Rūnaka o Ōtākou to identify a location and design for a proposed urupā.

Geotechnical investigations have been carried out at Green Park, Dunedin, Allanton and Waikouaiti cemeteries to identify optimum ground conditions for different burial types at each cemetery.  From these reports, specific burial zones have been identified.  Based on these reports, indicative locations of road and pathway infrastructure has been identified to show access to future burial areas.

DCC intends to maintain its approach of ensuring sufficient and appropriately managed cemeteries and crematoria through its capital and operating budgets over the next nine years, in accordance with its last assessment of water and sanitary services.

The Dunedin City Council has a statutory obligation under the Local Government Act 2002, Schedule 10, Part 1, Clause 6 to identify and explain significant variations between its waste management and minimisation plans adopted under section 43 of the Waste Minimisation Act 2008 and the proposals set out in the Council’s 9 year plan.

The Council had a statutory obligation under the Waste Minimisation Act 2008, Part 4 section 43, to review the Council’s Waste Management and Minimisation Plan. The review requires a full waste assessment to be completed for the district. This review covers both Council and non-Council activities.

On 15 August 2023 Council noted completion of the Otago Regional Waste Assessment 2023, as per section 51 of the Waste Minimisation Act, and resolved to proceed with amending the Waste Management and Minimisation Plan 2020. The amended draft Plan was presented to Council on 30 October and was approved for public consultation. Consultation will be via the special consultative procedure, followed by a hearings process, with the final draft presented for adoption in mid-2025. The next Waste Management and Minimisation Plan review is due by 14 August 2029.

There are no significant variations between the proposals outlined in the 9 year plan and the Council’s Waste Minimisation and Management Plan.