Putaruru in breach

The South Waikato’s green reputation is in the red zone after Putaruru was slapped with a breach of national air pollution standards.

Waikato Regional Council monitoring of Putaruru’s Arapuni St site showed the PM10 standard was exceeded twice within a 12 month period.

The breach triggered a restriction on the future use of new open fireplaces in the home and an extension of the town’s classification as a ‘‘polluted airshed’’.

Any solid-fuel burning, open fireplace installed within a home on or after April 9 this year will not be able to be used.

Tokoroa has already totalled nine exceedances this winter and has breached standards every year since 2010.

A PM10 particle is an invisible airborne particle that can lodge in people’s lungs and cause serious health problems.

Regional council scientist Jonathan Caldwell said Putaruru’s air quality had been improving with a clean record since 2011.

However, the exceedance has put the town in the red zone.

‘‘To get that status lifted, Putaruru will need to have no more than one exceedance per 12 month period for another five years.’’

The South Waikato District Council is still working on a heat swap initiative to improve air quality in the district.

Since 2011, 157 of the district’s homes had their heating replaced with clean heat appliances which are paid back through targeted rates.

Putaruru ratepayers can apply to the Heat Swap scheme to have non-compliant fires in residential properties replaced by adding the cost to their rates over a nine-year period.

Several wood suppliers in the district have also signed up to the Burnwise scheme.

For more information on the Heat Swap scheme contact South Waikato District Council on 07 885 0340 or visit www.southwaikato.govt.nz.