Mine fined for stream pollution

The company behind a Canterbury coalmine has been fined $10,500 after letting sediment run into waterways, putting at risk the habitat of the region’s most threatened fish.

Environment Canterbury (ECan) has fined Bathurst Coal Ltd after unauthorised runoff from development at the company’s Canterbury coalmine at Coalgate was detected on 14 occasions. The open-cast mine is 70 kilometres west of Christchurch.

The runoff was found in the Tara and Bush Gully streams after heavy rainfall in July, August and September this year. Both streams feed into Lake Ellesmere (Te Waihora).

The waterways are home to the Canterbury mudfish, which is found only between Christchurch and the Waitaki River and is the region’s most threatened fish species.

The lake, Canterbury’s largest, was rated New Zealand’s most polluted lake by the National Institute of Water and Atmosphere (Niwa) several years ago.

Bathurst was issued consents under the Resource Management Act for mine development, which started in autumn this year. The consents required the company to control erosion of sediment from large areas of exposed soil.

Michaela Rees, ECan’s Selwyn Waihora zone manager, said the company’s failure to fully establish sediment controls such as fencing, staged ponds and planting, was a ‘‘very serious issue’’.

‘‘This left the waterways or streams vulnerable as there was inadequate protection to manage the risk of sediment runoff during a large rainfall event, of which there have been several this year.’’

The result had potentially affected the habitat of the mudfish – which are considered a Nga¯i Tahu taonga, she said.

ECan staff had since been investigating the fish’s habitat but had ‘‘yet to find any evidence’’ of affected fish, Rees said. Mudfish surveys were previously undertaken in 2007 and 2011.

The runoff was detected during checks by ECan staff. Rees said the company had since made good progress putting the right systems in place and was fully complaint with its consent conditions.

‘‘They have taken responsibility and are close to completing the system that should keep sediment out of local waterways . . . They have learnt their lesson.

‘‘If the company fails to comply again, we won’t hesitate to escalate our enforcement response if necessary – our waterways must be protected.’’

ECan said it was unaware of any similar problems from other mines.

The Ellesmere lake bed has been owned by Nga¯i Tahu since the iwi’s 1998 Treaty of Waitangi settlement.

A $11.6 million project halffunded by the Crown and aimed at improving the lake’s water quality was launched in 2013 by Nga¯i Tahu, ECan, Fonterra, the Selwyn District Council, Lincoln University and the local community.

Waihora Ellesmere Trust chairman Ray Maw said the trust supported any action that could stop degradation of the waterways flowing into the lake.

Proper enforcement and followup by authorities such as ECan and the Department of Conservation was vital, Maw said. ‘‘They need to be doing their job. It encourages landowners or business owners to act responsibly.’’

Bathurst Coal is an arm of Bathurst Resources, which is listed on the Australian stock exchange. It bought the Canterbury coalmine in 2013 and also has mines in Southland, Waikato and the West Coast.

The company did not return a request for comment.