The Environment Court has dismissed an application by Cresswell NZ Ltd to strike out a community group's appeal.
The appeal challenges the industrial-scale expansion of Otakiri Springs and the
company's plans to bottle up to 4.5 million litres of water per day.
Maureen Fraser of Sustainable Otakiri said the group was grateful for Judge Kirkpatrick's decision.
"This decision gives us a chance to protect our environment. One consent allows 450m3 of phosphorus-rich wastewater to be dumped into our local stream every day. It also allows the discharge of large loads of stormwater and sediment. We're supposed to be improving the health of our water, not trading it off for a few jobs."
The group said its greatest concern was for the aquifer, with a cluster of bottling plants now in the area. These included Otakiri Springs, Antipodes and Oravida.