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.
Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we're having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️
Poll: When should the tree go up? 🎄
From what we've heard, some Christmas trees are already being assembled and decorated.
What are your thoughts on the best time to get your Christmas tree up?
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4.6% Second half of November
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43.6% 1st December
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17.5% A week before Christmas
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33.2% Whenever you wish
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1.1% Other - I'll share below
What's your favourite tomato recipe?
Kia ora neighbours. We know your tomato plants are still growing, but we're looking ahead to the harvest already! If you've got a family recipe for tomatoes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine to share with our readers. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our February 2025 issue.
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