Concern dump may contaminate water

THE Grey District Council is worried a private dump site consented by the West Coast Regional Council for asbestos and toxic liquids might potentially affect the Greymouth town water supply.

The Taylorville Resource Park is located near the water bore and treatment plant at Coal Creek. The private dump sits on the terrace directly above the treatment plant beside the Grey River.

Grey District Council group manager of operations Aaron Haymes said they were considering technical options to ensure the town water supply was not in any way compromised by the dump.

The district council was not consulted as an affected party when the regional council processed the resource consents for the dump site late last year.

The district council said it should have been. Mr Haymes said the groundwater flow through gravels was complex and his council was considering independent ground monitoring so it could better understand the potential risk.

‘‘To be absolutely certain that we’ve got that right, we’ve got to bring in some experts.’’

It also had to meet its statutory obligations to assure the new national water regulator Taumata Arowai it was providing a safe public water supply at all times.

‘‘Once the ground is contaminated you can’t pull water from it any more.

‘‘It’s not something we are going to leave alone. We have to protect the water supply for the community and we want to protect our asset.

‘‘We are not angry with the regional council or anything like that — we want to work with the regional council.’’

But the district council was yet to be reassured about the risk.

Its concern increased after the regional council approved a consent variation late last year despite the district council’s objections, which was again discounted by the regional council as an affected party.

Regional council acting consents and compliance manager Rachel Clark stood by the stance the district council was not an affected party.

The Taylorville Resource Park consent variation was to contain toxic material in ‘‘a fully lined cell membrane’’ and to implement a leachate monitoring system.

Any threat to the water supply ‘‘would be extremely unlikely to get to that point to give cause for concern’’.

The consent conditions stipulated that any material, other than general demolition waste such as asbestos contaminated ‘‘or otherwise contaminated material’’, had to be disposed of in a fully lined cell.

‘‘The applicant is also required to undertake regular water monitoring, including groundwater, to ensure there is no contamination beyond the property boundary,’’ Ms Clark said.

Mr Haymes said it had already cost the district council ‘‘having to demonstrate that we comply’’.