Most consent holders meet standards
A hydro-electric power station and a sawmill failed to reach acceptable environmental standards following monitoring of resource consents by the Taranaki Regional Council, it has been revealed.
Renewable Power Ltd, and Waverley Sawmills were both given ‘poor’ ratings for environmental performance and administrative compliance, the TRC consents and regulatory committee meeting was told.
Waverley Sawmills was fined after copper was found in wood waste and arsenic leachate exceeded the company’s consent conditions.
The discharge contravened an abatement notice given in 2015-16, and the company’s four resource consents to dispose wood waste, leachate and stormwater on land and water.
South Taranaki power generator Renewable Power held three resource consents to take, use and dam between 1.5 cubic metres and 3cum of water from the Waingongoro River, and operate a weir.
Consent monitoring by council staff found poor management and a lack of progress in upgrading a fish pass, TRC environment quality director Gary Bedford told Tuesday’s meeting.
The company had showed improvement in its operations since the report was released, he added.
The South Taranaki firms were among resource consent compliance reports from 39 businesses in Taranaki compiled by council staff for 2016/17.
Within the reports 72 consents achieved a ‘high’, 27 ‘good’, 10 ‘improvement required’, and 2 ‘poor’ performance ratings, Bedford said.
Among the consent holders which received ‘high’ ratings were Stratford Power Station, Dow AgroSciences, Greymouth Petroleum and Todd Energy.
Meanwhile, a Bell Block couple were fined $1000 after a large pile of truck tyres caught alight on their Manutahi Rd property in December sending black smoke billowing into the air, the committee was told.
The blaze, which started from a small rubbish fire nearby, was one of 114 incidents reported to regional council staff during the past six months.
Thirty nine incidents reported were compliant, and 22 noncompliant.
Forty-one compliance monitoring non-compliances were also reported, including 28 from annual dairy inspections.
Port Taranaki was fined $750 for the discharge of fire fighting foam into the Herekawe Stream in October after a fire suppressant test was carried out at the company’s tank farm.
Council staff were unable to identify the source of a hydrocarbon spill into the Mangaone Stream in January, despite several investigations being carried out at nearby industrial sites, the committee heard.
Staff are continuing an investigation into a leak in a high pressure gas pipeline, operated by Westside New Zealand, after a fire broke out in a paddock near Lower Manutahi Rd.
A high E coli count found in water samples taken at the Timaru Stream mouth, Oakura, in November was attributed to dairy cows, Bedford said.