ECan receives four odour complaints in six days

Environment Canterbury has been receiving complaints about bad smells lingering over Timaru and the Washdyke area, but it is unclear where they originate from.

The regional council received four complaints over a six-day period from October 6 to October 12, with three of the complaints substantiated.

ECan media spokeswoman Melanie Carpinter said two of the complaints originated in Wash- dyke, and one incident reported in Timaru.

Two processing plants in the area, Alliance Smithfield and South Canterbury By-Products, have been the subject of complaints in the past. However, information about complaints - which had not yet led to abatement or infringement notices - was not immediately available.

Alliance Smithfield plant manager Neville Cuthill said it was highly unlikely it was anything to do with his plant.

‘‘Most of the plant is currently was in seasonal shut-down. The rendering plant is shut and undergoing routine maintenance, so is not operating and there is no sheep and lamb processing,’’ Cuthill said.

‘‘Some venison processing is underway, although this does not contribute to any odour.’’

In June a $700,000 upgrade was carried out on the plant to stop foul smells escaping.

Wallace Group took over South Canterbury By-Products in June. Prior to that the company was fined a total of $3500 for two incidents where it had breached a resource consent and an abatement notice.

Wallace Group chief executive Graham Shortland was not available for comment on Friday, but in September he said the group was ‘‘very confident’’ of the plant’s ability to comply with all of the terms of its resource consent, and said it had been upgraded before the merger took place.

Plant manager Shannon Swete said he was unable to comment.

ECan South Canterbury zone manager Michael Hide could not be reached for comment on Friday, and neither could South Canterbury regional manager Tania Harris.

Timaru District Council communications manager Stephen Doran said it was unlikely the complaints had anything to do with the council’s Redruth Resource Recovery Park.

‘‘We’ve received no smell complaints in the past year. Redruth Resource Recovery Park is only one of several enterprises based in this industrial area, and we’ve had very few complaints about smell in the decade it has been operating.’’