The comments were made by Port Otago counsel Len Andersen on the final day of an Otago Regional Council hearing of the port's application for a three-year renewal of its consent to dispose of 450,000cu m of spoil a year from maintenance and incremental capital dredging of the harbour to sites at Heyward Point, Aramoana Spit and Shelly Beach.
They came after the Surfbreak Protection Society on Tuesday called for dumping at Heyward Point and Aramoana Spit to be stopped for three years while a baseline study on surf quality and the effects of dumping was carried out at Aramoana and Whareakeake - which were included among 17 surf breaks of ''national significance''.
Mr Andersen said the society's call for dumping to be stopped while a study was carried out would put the port's entire dredging operation at risk, as there were ''no alternative [dumping] sites''.
''Port Otago needs to be able to dispose of the maintenance dredging spoil in order to maintain the [harbour] channel,'' he said.
Stopping dumping also posed a potential risk as it was possible dumping at the present levels contributed to the high quality of waves at the two sites.
''It is a blunt instrument to say stop [dumping], because that in itself is altering [the status quo],'' he said.
Port Otago's application was already a ''precautionary approach'', because the consent was only for three years, during which the effects of the dumping would be constantly monitored, allowing for an ''informed decision'' when the dumping came up for consent again.
Mr Anderson said Port Otago accepted criticism from surfing advocates - including the Surfbreak Protection Society and local surfers Roderick Rust and Nicola Reeves - that it could have communicated better during the pre-hearing phase, and in particular when it came to having experts from both sides discussing the issues.
''It should have been handled better,'' he said.
Independent hearing panel chairman John Lumsden earlier said one of the significant issues that had come up from the hearing was whether Heyward Point could ''handle'' the significant increase in dumping proposed in the application.
Mr Andersen said in reply there were periods in the past when more had been dumped at the site, which gave some reassurance the increase would not have a negative effect.
Otago Regional Council principal resource officer Peter Christophers earlier defended his recommendation to approve the dumping, saying the conditions attached represented a ''precautionary approach''.
''I stand by my report that consent be granted with conditions,'' Mr Christophers said.
However, based on the submissions, he recommended a few changes to conditions, including having at least one member of the South Coast Boardriders on the working party, which would meet at least every six months and monitor the effects of dumping.
He also recommended the amount of each type of spoil at each site be monitored.
A decision will be made in due course.
Day 3
Where: Southern Cross, Dunedin.
Application: Three-year renewal of consent to dispose of dredged spoil at three sites.
Independent hearing panel: John Lumsden (chairman), Mike Johnston, Martin Ward.
Evidence: Port Otago counsel Len Andersen, general manager infrastructure Lincoln Coe, physical oceanographer Peter McComb and planner Mary O'Callahan. Otago Regional Council principal resource officer Peter Christophers.
