Landfill faces new scrutiny

A landfill with a history of leaching toxic chemicals into Wellington’s marine sanctuary is back under investigation.

News of the investigation came as a surprise to those at the tip, while a vocal opponent of toxic waste running into Owhiro Bay, on Wellington’s South Coast, sees the investigation as not much more than a hollow word.

A woman at T&T Landfills, who would give her name only as Sophie, said it had created a wetland since a 2016 investigation and it was working towards catching and treating leachate, water contaminated by going through the landfill. She was unaware the Happy Valley Rd landfill was being investigated again.

But emails show Greater Wellington Regional Council is investigating the company.

Owhiro Bay’s Eugene Doyle, a thorn in the side of the regional council’s handling of multiple issues around the South Coast community, on Friday asked for an update on the ‘‘investigation of the contamination of the Owhiro Stream emanating from T&T Landfills’’.

The response said the council was making good progress with its investigation into the landfill.

The email said the private landfill had been given till September 30 to address ‘‘a number of compliance issues’’. Other remedies would take longer.

The council would not reveal readings of what chemicals had been found in the Owhiro Stream due to the ongoing investigation.

To Doyle, talk of an investigation rang hollow: ‘‘We won’t be holding our breath given the environmental destruction Greater Wellington has facilitated in our catchment.’’

Doyle understood some information could not be released while an investigation was ongoing. But he believed the readings of toxins found in a stream – which ran near a school and homes – should be public.