More than 60 public submissions were received by the Otago Regional Council by late yesterday on Port Otago's proposed $100 million channel-deepening project, with more expected by mail and email over the weekend.
Port Otago has applied for consent to widen and deepen about 13km of upper harbour channel from Port Chalmers to alongside the salt marshes opposite Taiaroa Head, which would involve moving and dumping about about 7.2 million cu m of sand and silt at sea.
It was understood of the 60 submissions so far, about one-third supported the application while two-thirds did not.
Port Otago has said the dredging and dumping, totalling potentially 110 days over several years, would cause only minor effects, but some user groups are understood to be raising concerns about sediment suspended in the water; the resultant plume at sea from dumping and any effects of sediment build-up on the seabed and coastline.
The project is in preparation to allow the passage of larger container ships to Port Chalmers in the near future.
