Westport harbour fuel spill still being investigated
By local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
An alleged fuel spill of thousands of litres of fuel oil into Westport's harbour is being investigated, with officials seeking more information as accusations fly.
The Kings Birthday Weekend incident, on June 1, saw West Coast authorities spring into action to contain the slick after a troubled fishing boat limped into port.
The boat was apparently taking on water while also leaking fuel oil, via an internal bilge pump.
The port set up some booms to contain the spill while staff, working with a regional environmental response team, undertook a cleanup by suctioning about 2500 litres of fuel mixed with seawater into containers.
A further inspection on June 2 found about 200 litres of fuel residue lingering within the harbour basin.
On June 4, the West Coast Regional Council-- which has environmental oversight for the region's waterways - said the impact looked worse than it was.
The incident sparked social media outrage with people expressing outrage at the "f...ing disgusting" spill.
West Coast Regional Council compliance manager Chris Barnes said on Monday (June 17) he had decided to continue an environmental
investigation into the incident because what had occurred was not really clear cut.
"I want more information," he said.
"There's some accusations that came out I don't believe were true - but there is a bit more that doesn't meet the eye."
He expected an update with more information within council's quarterly environmental monitoring report early in July.
Meanwhile, the council was called out about 4am on Monday to a potential environmental incident about 25km southwest of Westport.
It followed a vehicle crash on State Highway 6 in the vicinity of Costellos Hill, about 5km north of Charleston.
A car towing a trailer had come to grief after apparently losing control.
The front part of the vehicle was left suspended over a waterway.
Barnes said a member of the public who called it in was concerned about oil leaking from the vehicle going into a creek.
Fortunately the vehicle's occupants escaped unscathed but the scene looked "pretty nasty", he said.
An assessment at the scene ruled out any major impact on the waterway, he said.
Worst Xmas ever?
There's a a lot of planning that goes into Christmas day and sometimes things just don't go to plan. But it can be a good thing - a family mishap or hilarious memory that you can laugh about in Christmases to come.
Whether you burnt the dinner or were stranded at an airport...
Share your Christmas mishaps below!
Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
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61.7% Summer
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36.6% Winter
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1.7% Other - I'll share below
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
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