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By local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
E coli found at the Waiho River in January appears to be linked to seepage near a controversial stopbank and the Franz Josef sewage ponds.
West Coast Regional Council environmental consent monitoring staff detected "a spike" in E coli … View moreBy local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
E coli found at the Waiho River in January appears to be linked to seepage near a controversial stopbank and the Franz Josef sewage ponds.
West Coast Regional Council environmental consent monitoring staff detected "a spike" in E coli discharge levels to the Westland District Council's wastewater treatment cells after the Waiho River shifted course in mid-January.
The finding was flagged in council's first quarterly compliance and enforcement report for 2024.
The river began running hard up against the Westland District Council's Havill Wall, in front of the wastewater treatment plan, following a storm in January.
That event saw the Waiho River's avulsion escalate into the separate Tatare Stream catchment to the north.
The Havill Wall was controversially built following a moderate flood event in April 2016 where the river overtopped a stopbank to the north of Franz Josef township. It flooded the now abandoned Scenic Hotel site and swamped the district council's current wastewater treatment site.
The council's quarterly compliance report said the E.coli discharge to the treatment plant's disposal cells was found during regular monitoring by staff.
"Surveillance of the site found an unusual stream of water emanating from below the site," the report said.
A council compliance officer took samples of the surface water below the site.
"This was found to be contaminated with E coli bacteria.
"At the time these samples were taken the Waiho River was pushing up against the Havill Wall outside of the wastewater treatment ponds," the report said.
Subsequent additional protection work by the district council to stop the river from cutting back up towards the ponds had covered over the water sample area.
"The area sampled is now under these works."
Further inquiries were ongoing "to pinpoint" the source of the contamination.
Westland District Council chief executive Simon Bastion on April 18 said his council had been advised by the regional council an area of ponding below the level of the oxidation ponds had been sampled and found to be positive for E coli.
"The level of E coli can fluctuate in any standing or flowing water body depending on natural contamination via wildlife or human interference factors," he said.
Both councils then visited the oxidation ponds.
"A very minor clear stream of river water was visible and flowing along the toe of the stopbank and ponding near the base of Maturation pond 1. This was believed to be the cause of the positive E coli sample."
Bastion said the district council was confident its sewerage treatment ponds at the site were not permeable or posed a risk to the river.
"The new primary and secondary oxidation ponds are lined with PE (Polyethylene) to ensure they do not leak. The oxidation ponds are fit for purpose and have operated satisfactorily since commissioning in 2020."
Bastion said the final effluent disposal cells for the site were located further away from the Waiho River and complied with their Resource Consent.
The council's iwi partner, Te Rūnanga o Makaawhio, were also approached by LDR.
Makaawhio chairperson Paul Madgwick said it was the first he had heard of the incident.
Madgwick said his expectation was that council would have informed the rūnunga about the finding in the spirit of their joint agreement.
The council not keeping them in the loop undermined the formal Mana Whakahono ā Rohe agreement between Makaawhio and the council, he said.
The agreement, first signed four years ago, sets out a working relationship where council and iwi work together on resource management issues.
Regional council chief executive Darryl Lew said the E coli initially found at the site had disappeared, following more tests.
"The recent sampling is clear. That doesn't mean to say we've cleared that line of inquiry," Lew said.
He believed Makaawhio had previously been briefed about the contamination but it was a case of nothing further emerging to keep them in the loop.
However, Lew said he would communicate further.
"We certainly informed the district council."
Escherichia coli (E coli) is a bacteria commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms. Some E coli strain can cause serious food poisoning.
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By local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
A 'rotten egg' smell at a private landfill on the West Coast could be caused by crushed and wet gib board, recently released documents show.
The West Coast Regional Council has accepted fresh applications from Taylorville Resource Park … View moreBy local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
A 'rotten egg' smell at a private landfill on the West Coast could be caused by crushed and wet gib board, recently released documents show.
The West Coast Regional Council has accepted fresh applications from Taylorville Resource Park (TRP), 5km east of Greymouth, to vary its consents.
It includes a new assessment for the applicant, which details the cause of the pungent odour that has resulted in numerous complaints to the council in the past 15 months.
The air assessment says the saturation of gib board in anaerobic conditions significantly enhanced rotting, causing the generation of a rotten egg smell at the site.
"The best way to address the production of sulphide gas is to prevent it at the source," the Davis Ogilvie report said.
It is not yet clear if latest application by TRP will result in a public resource consent hearing.
The controversial site was recently hit with an abatement notice from the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), after council called in the authority in January to take over its investigation of the site.
It followed a string of complaints and previous abatements in 2023, including neighbours raising concerns about a pungent smell.
The EPA slapped down an abatement in mid-March after finding contaminated leachate water collected in a landfill cell at the site was being released from a sediment pond.
Taylorville Resource Park has three months to meet the "required environmental standards". In the meantime, the landfill is allowed to operate, the EPA said on March 18.
LDR approached Taylorville Resource Park on April 18 for comment on its latest applications.
A WorkSafe investigation into an incident at the site last August, in which two workers were overcome with gas, is still ongoing.
The landfill has now applied to bring the operation in line with the Class 3 Managed Fill guidelines under the Waste Management Institute New Zealand Technical Guidelines for Disposal to Land.
It is also seeks to vary its discharge consent for water containing "landfill leachate", and a separate consent to discharge landfill gas to air.
The periods sought are for 25 years.
A bundle of documents lodged with council include a discharge to air assessment by Davis Ogilvie for Taylorville Resource Park in February this year.
It says the potential for gas generation at the site was originally assessed to be "less than minor" in 2021, and possible adverse effects beyond the site were thought to be unlikely at the time.
What had subsequently emerged could be attributed to:
* Expansion of the site beyond the area originally assessed;
* The deposit of "a large volume" of shredded gib board;
* Disposal of tomato vine material, which may have accelerated hydrogen sulphide gas;
* Issues with the leachate drain and sump from one of the site's cells leading to about 1.5m of water ponding in the base.
Davis Ogilvie also said gas generation at the site could increase when demolition gib board material was crushed, compacted or hit by rainwater.
Repair of a sump to limit water ponding in a dump cell, sealing of the leachate discharge system to minimise emissions, and installation of a gas treatment system to absorb gas had all been undertaken to try and fix the issue.
The documents also include an asbestos management plan and an assessment of environmental effects (AEE) from May 2023.
The assessment notes planning and hazard information held by the Grey District Council did not consider the site "prone to landslides".
Another memorandum backgrounds Taylorville Resource Park's desire to simplify the acceptance of contaminated soil at the site to move beyond the current case by case basis requiring council approval, which it says is onerous.
It noted existing lined cells and the collection and treatment of leachate at the site exceeded current monitoring and engineering requirements.
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… View moreWinners of the $100 Farmers vouchers in this week's Neighbourly prize draw are:
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By local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
An increase in staff numbers to nearly 90 at the West Coast Regional Council is defensible, says its chief executive.
It follows finger pointing by former chairperson Allan Birchfield who tried to pin down CEO Darryl Lew during an April meeting on … View moreBy local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
An increase in staff numbers to nearly 90 at the West Coast Regional Council is defensible, says its chief executive.
It follows finger pointing by former chairperson Allan Birchfield who tried to pin down CEO Darryl Lew during an April meeting on the exact number of staff he employed.
This week Birchfield said the figure was around 60 back in April 2022 at council, including West Coast Civil Defence Emergency Management staff.
Lew initially said the number of staff was somewhere in the 70s before acknowledging it was nearer 80; he promised to forward the exact numbers after the meeting.
On April 16, Lew said any suggestion of a significant increase of staff at the small council is not credible.
"I reject that the staff numbers in this organisation have increased significantly. They have not.
"This organisation has been carrying a substantial vacuum and in the past has had trouble recruiting. As a result I have had to employ contractors."
That practice going back several years had never been sustainable.
"It had got out of balance here because of the lack of ability to recruit."
Lew confirmed the council has 66 full-time staff, 17 part-time staff, and five casuals.
The council has struggled to retain or recruit staff for several years including having three chief executives in three years when Birchfield was chairperson, prior to his sacking a year ago.
Lew arrived at council last June as the fourth chief executive in four years.
Meanwhile, the elected council confirmed a policy of returning to in-house direct employment rather than relying on external contractors to plug gaps, particularly as it had to prove to Government it could manage the large Westport flood resilience contract build.
Lew said it was not easy to quantify the use of contractors in proportion to the permanent positions council needed but had been unable to fill.
"It's a very difficult question because they come in for projects and then go: it's a point in time."
However, Lew said the council was working towards having the expertise permanently on board.
"As a general trend, this organisation has been using over its history, and before I arrived, more contractors than I am comfortable with.
"Some have come with a very large price. For our ratepayers, its better and much more advantageous if we can employ in-house because it comes at a lessor cost," Lew said.
He said council would still need to employ contractors for specialised areas from time to time.
LDR has previously requested the cost to council of employing contractors. The council in a response early this year to a Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act request said the costs and numbers were difficult to separate from the CAPEX of council projects.
Lew said council recruiting had turned a corner in the past nine months and it was now "highly successful" in attracting "the right talent" across the organisation.
For example, the council has gone from having no in-house finance team last June to having four chartered accountants on staff.
Lew said the council also had its first charted engineer on board for at least 30 years. Senior engineering team leader Peter Blackwood, who is domiciled in the Bay of Plenty, is coming to council to lead a renewed in-house team.
Aaron Prendergast of the central North Island will continue act as corporate services manager for the first year of the 2024-34 Long Term Plan.
He has been consulting for council on its audit, systems review and Long Term Process since last year.
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By local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
The latest testing at a popular Westport swimming beach appear to show an all clear for E coli.
Earlier samples over summer had flagged contamination from cattle, according to a report to the West Coast Regional Council.
The test site in … View moreBy local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
The latest testing at a popular Westport swimming beach appear to show an all clear for E coli.
Earlier samples over summer had flagged contamination from cattle, according to a report to the West Coast Regional Council.
The test site in question, Marrs Beach on the south side of the Buller River has been a focus for the regional council for years however it has had difficulty tracing the sources of e-coli contamination.
Martins Creek enters the river near Marrs Beach and council has formed a catchment group to try and address contamination issues with landholders in the catchment.
Water quality sampling results provided alongside a report to the council's Resource Management Committee gives an overview of results for November 2023 to March 2024.
In the main, the majority of 20 sites tested through summer were in the 'very low risk' category for swimmers.
However beaches around Westport periodically blipped through summer.
Marrs Beach had two flags, in mid-November and mid-January, where testing found the water was of 'moderate to high risk' to swimmers due to E.coli exceedances (between 550 and 280 per 100ml).
Shingle Beach on the opposite side of the Buller River had three moderate to high risk flags: one in mid-December and two through the middle of January.
Other exceedance of water quality standards across the region included one moderate to high risk flag each in mid-January at the popular Taylorville swimming hole in the Grey River, and at Nelson Creek; at Westport North Beach (mid-December) and Punakaiki River (mid-January).
The council undertakes weekly contact recreation water quality sampling at the swimming spots from the end of October to late March.
The report to this week's Resource Management Committee said the last sampling period from February 19 to March 20 did not flag any exceedance despite "significant rainfall" preceding sampling in some locations.
Escherichia coli (E coli) is a bacteria commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms. Some E.coli strain can cause serious food poisoning.
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Many public rubbish bins are being removed by councils due to the large costs of regularly emptying them. Do you think we can adapt and live without them?
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By local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
There are still big gaps in the knowledge about the number of contaminated and environmentally hazardous sites on the West Coast.
The West Coast Regional Council's Hazardous Activities and Industries List (HAIL) identifies 533 sites across the… View moreBy local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
There are still big gaps in the knowledge about the number of contaminated and environmentally hazardous sites on the West Coast.
The West Coast Regional Council's Hazardous Activities and Industries List (HAIL) identifies 533 sites across the region.
A new report by council says the presence or extent of contamination is "not known" for 70% of the sites.
At this stage council staff resources dedicated to HAIL and contaminated work represents about one half-time staff member, annually, the report said.
The sites represent a range of past activities and industries in the region.
The most common are: service stations (40%), landfills (10%), power substations (5%), previous mining exploration (4%), and previous gas works (4%).
Councillor Peter Ewen has repeatedly called for the region's HAIL list to be brought up to speed and thanked council staff for the updated list.
"It's very good to have this (but) there are a number of concerns," he said.
"The word that springs up in this report is a lot of sites have been 'assessed' but a lot haven't."
Ewen said the council should be seeking external funding to get a better handle on the scope of hazardous sites across the region, including former rubbish dumps.
"We've got to get some significant financial assistance to address this, and I think we should be accessing that."
The council HAIL register report included additional information from the Department of Conservation noting that it had 301 hazardous sites under its administration.
Only 48 of these were already included in the council list.
DOC-managed contaminated sites were typically former coal or gold mine sites.
Ewen asked the council draft a letter to the Director General of DOC to address:
* The department's work programme, resources and funding dedicated to its West Coast HAIL sites;
* That DOC should inform the council of any discharges occurring from their sites, "that are not already consented";
* Evidence of any Government funding received by DOC to deal with contaminated West Coast sites.
Ewen said the region did not want the spectacle of another Fox Glacier dump disaster.
"It's an issue that is not going to go away if we ignore it. Another day, it's another dump that gets washed away. We've got over 300 of the them, and most are not consented," he said.
"The thing I'm concerned about is the guardian of the environment, DOC, has a lot of these sites. They must know where they are."
The council agreed on April 9 to adopt Cr Ewen's recommendations.
DOC has been approached by LDR for comment.
Council science manager Jonny Horrox said council had to "give effect" to the national legislation on the risk contaminated land poses.
He said council was required to identify sites that posed or might pose health risks. This was to manage the risk appropriately on behalf of the community for land use changes or proposed earthworks.
Horrix said of the 301 DOC sites, about 48 were already listed by council.
* Eight are within the department's national 50 high risk sites;
* The presence or extent of contamination was unclear for the majority of DOC sites;
* The DOC sites represented a range of activities and industries in the region, "but mining is the main HAIL activity for 80% of sites.
Horrix said various terms had previously been used but HAIL was best understood.
"Sites are on the register as a precautionary measure ... contaminants may or may not be present."
However the HAIL register was to inform future decisions around site use, he said.
"It does not mean all sites are contaminated."
Photos:
* The former Prohibition Mine site at Waiuta cost the Department of Conservation $2.6 million to clean-up from 2016-18 of what had been assessed as the most toxic mine site in New Zealand and the second most arsenic-contaminated site in the world. (Department of Conservation)
* The top of the former Denniston Incline on the Denniston Plateau north of Westport. The area is one among many historic mining sites managed by the Department of Conservation on the West Coast where there is a legacy of contamination such as acid mine drainage. (Brendon McMahon)
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