Volume One 16. Waste • Land over aquifers used for municipal water supply. In these environments, the risk that the contaminants present in wastewater will not be effectively treated and/or retained is greater. This risk also exists where there is a significant volume of wastewater to be discharged. In these circumstances, discharge permits will be required for the discharge of wastewater to land. This will enable the Council to exercise its discretion to determine whether the proposed wastewater management system is suitable given the volume of wastewater, site conditions and constraints. [RPS, R] Policy 16.3.3 – Approve discharge permit applications to discharge contaminants onto or into land where: (a) the discharge is within the ability of the land to treat and/or contain contaminants present in the liquid waste, taking into account: (i) the rate of discharge (including variability in the rate of discharge); (ii) the nature and concentration of contaminants within the liquid waste; (iii) the hydraulic properties of the soil within the land application area and any relevant physical, chemical or biological soil properties; (iv) any other discharge of contaminants to the same land or to land in close proximity to the discharge; (b) the discharge does not adversely affect the drinking water quality of groundwater adjacent to or down gradient of the discharge, either alone or in combination with any other discharge; (c) the land application area is located as far as practicable from any surface waterbody or coastal water; (d) it is inappropriate (due to the potential impact on the performance of treatment plants and associated infrastructure) or impracticable to discharge the liquid waste into reticulated sewerage system; (e) the discharge will not initiate instability or make existing instability worse; and (f) the treatment unit and land application area are accessible for servicing. The policy provides the criteria for determining whether discharge permit applications should be granted or not. Any applicant will have to demonstrate that the design of the proposed wastewater management system can satisfy all of the identified requirements on an ongoing basis. [RPS, R] Policy 16.3.4 – When considering discharge permit applications to discharge contaminants onto or into land, have regard to: (a) the extent of treatment prior to discharge; (b) the method of distribution to and within the land application area following treatment; (c) alternative options for managing the contaminants, including discharge to an alternative location or to a reticulated community sewerage system; (d) the need for reserve land application areas; (e) site constraints, including geology, topography, slope, climate and presence of waterbodies or structures; (f) relevant guidelines and standards; and (g) potential cumulative effects. 16 – 11