Key changes:

• Discretionary consent needed for existing discharges to water and land
  
  
• After 2045 is will be prohibited to:
  • discharge wastewater into water
  • discharge untreated wastewater onto land where it may enter water (i.e., sewage overflows).

• A discretionary consent needed, with policy direction preferring discharges to land over discharges to water

Key changes:

• Discretionary consent needed to discharge treated wastewater to land
• Prohibited to discharge untreated wastewater to land where it may enter water (i.e., sewage overflows)
• Prohibited to discharge treated or untreated wastewater to water.

New systems

• A discretionary consent needed, with policy direction preferring discharges to land over discharges to water

• New rule framework
• Biosolids definition: “sludge derived from a wastewater treatment plant that has been treated and/or stabilised to the extent that it is able to be safely and beneficially applied to land.”
• No permitted activity rule

Restricted discretionary consent needed for discharge to land, and discretion is restricted to:

• • Treatment and quality
  • Land uses of site and adjacent sites
  • Soil type and capacity
  • Rate and management of application
  • Storage and handling
  • Setbacks from water, bores, boundaries
  • Information requirements.

Not managed in the Water Plan

No consent needed to discharge to land, if the discharge meets all the following permitted activity conditions:

• less than 5 cubic metres per day (volume)
• less than 5 millimetres per day (rate)
• not hazardous
• more than 50 metres from any water, bore or property boundary
• not resulting in ponding, flooding or sedimentation
• within an industrial zone.

If the activity does not meet all the permitted activity conditions, a discretionary consent is required.

The discharge of industrial and trade waste to water or land requires discretionary consent.

Existing systems are permitted if the discharge is:

• More than 50 metres from the coast, surface water or drain
• More than 100 metres from a bore
• Not in a drinking water protection zone
• Not within 0.6 metres of groundwater in most soils (soils classified as Category 2-6 in accordance with the New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 1547:2012 – On-site Domestic Wastewater Management)
• Not within 2 metres of groundwater in gravel soils (soils classified as Category 1 in accordance with the New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 1547:2012 – On-site Domestic Wastewater Management)
• Not on a slope greater than 30 percent grade for sub surface drip irrigation disposal systems
• Not on a slope greater than 10 percent grade for all other systems
• Not in a zone subject to flooding (subject to flooding at a frequency of: greater than 1 in 100 years for any primary treatment system; or greater than 1 in 20 years for all other treatment systems.)
• Not containing chemical toilet waste or hazardous substances.

If the above conditions are not met, the discharge requires a discretionary consent.

If the system was installed before 1998, no consent is needed if:

• Discharge does not directly enter water
• Discharge does not enter another property or cause flooding of another person’s property, erosion, land instability, sedimentation or property damage.

If the above conditions are not met, the system requires a discretionary consent.

If the system was installed after 1998, consent is required if:

• The discharge exceeds 2000 litres per day
• The discharge occurs in a groundwater protection zone
• The discharge occurs within 50 metres of a surface water body or bore
• There is a direct discharge to groundwater, drain or water race
• The discharge enters another property or causes flooding of another person’s property, erosion, land instability, sedimentation or property damage.

If the above conditions are not met, the discharge requires a discretionary consent.

New systems are permitted if the discharge is:

• Less than 2000 litres per day
• On a site larger than 2 hectares
• More than 50 metres from the coast, surface water or drain
• More than 100 metres from a bore
• Not in a drinking water protection zone
• Not within 0.6 metres of groundwater in most soils (soils classified as Category 2-6 in accordance with the New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 1547:2012 – On-site Domestic Wastewater Management)
• Not within 2 metres of groundwater in gravel soils (soils classified as Category 1 in accordance with the New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 1547:2012 – On-site Domestic Wastewater Management)
• Not on a slope greater than 30 percent grade for sub surface drip irrigation disposal systems
• Not on a slope greater than 10 percent grade for all other systems
• Not in a zone subject to flooding (subject to flooding at a frequency of: greater than 1 in 100 years for any primary treatment system; or greater than 1 in 20 years for all other treatment systems.)
• Not containing chemical toilet waste or hazardous substances.

If the above conditions are not met, the discharge requires a discretionary consent.

No consent needed for existing pit toilet if:

• setback 50 metres from coast, surface water, bores
• outside a drinking water protection zone
• at least 1 metre above groundwater
• operated and maintained to avoid the leakage of sewage above ground.

 If the above conditions are not met, the discharge requires a discretionary consent.

 No consent needed for new pit toilet if:

• located on a section over 20 hectares
• setback 50 metres from coast, surface water, bores
• outside a drinking water protection zone
• at least 2 metres above groundwater
• operated and maintained to avoid the leakage of sewage above ground.

 If the above conditions are not met, the discharge requires a discretionary consent.

Discharges from pit toilets constructed before 1998 are permitted.

Discharges from pit toilets constructed after 1998 are permitted if the discharge is:

• Further than 50 metres form surface water or a bore
• Outside a groundwater protection zone
• Not directly entering groundwater

If the above conditions are not met, the discharge requires a discretionary consent.

Composting toilets

No consent needed to discharge to land if:

• material is composted for 12 months prior to discharge
• the land is not used for food crops
• setback 50 metres from surface water, coast, bores
• material is discharged outside a drinking water protection zone.

If the above conditions are not met, the discharge requires a discretionary consent.

Not managed in Water Plan.

Onsite greywater

No consent required to discharge to land if:

• the greywater system complies with the Building Act
• the discharge is via a sub-surface land application system and does not exceed 15 millimetres per day
• the greywater system filters the discharge and does not allow it to store for more than 12 hours
• the discharge does not contain sewage or a hazardous waste
• the discharge does not result in ponding or flooding
• the discharge is not within 50 metres of surface water or coast
• the discharge is not within a drinking water protection zone

 If the activity does not meet the permitted activity conditions, a discretionary consent is required.

Onsite greywater

• Managed as “sullage” under the Water Plan
• Permitted to discharge to water as long was quality and temperature are not affected
• If the activity does not meet the permitted activity conditions, a discretionary consent is required.