A neighbour of $21.5 million Project Pure facility told Wanaka Community Board members council staff were fudging figures when it came to complaints about the sewage and wastewater treatment plant.
Wanaka pharmacist and community newspaper owner Aaron Heath disputed figures released to the Otago Daily Times by the Queenstown Lakes District Council's Project Pure manager Martin O'Malley.
He said Mr O'Malley was "erroneously misleading the media and Wanaka public about the number of complaints laid", about odour issues at the Project Pure plant.
Mr O'Malley told the ODT the council had received five complaints during June about odour, and 24 complaints since Project Pure went operational in January 2009.
Mr Heath, a former Queenstown Lakes councillor told his past community board colleagues there had been about 30 complaints "up until the end of May" and there were "at least 10" and "up to two a day" during the past week.
A report, which he acknowledged "I haven't bothered to verify", was given to Wanaka Community Board chairman Lyal Cocks and this contained details of other complainants about odour from the plant.
QLDC engineering and infrastructure manager Mark Kunath later told the community board Mr Heath might have got his complaint figures "muddled up".
The Otago Regional Council was the governing authority responsible for monitoring consent conditions.
It liaised with the QLDC, which, as the consent holder for Project Pure, must ensure conditions were complied with, Mr Kunath said.
It was possible complaints were being laid with the different councils and this could result in different figures, he said.
The QLDC deals with the plant contractor, United Group NZ Ltd, which is responsible for the operational requirements of the plant and treatment facilities at Project Pure, he said.
There were ongoing issues about the odour at Project Pure, Mr Kunath said.
"The contractors have been unable to sort this out since day one," he said.
The council continued to "push them as hard as possible" for a solution.
ORC resource management director Dr Selva Selvarajah has been unavailable during the past two days to verify the number of complaints being laid in regard to Project Pure.
An ORC report on odour levels is due to be given to the council this week.
