Council calls for an end to toxic dump at Greymouth
The Grey District Council is calling on the West Coast Regional Council to immediately revoke all resource consents for the Taylorville Resource Park (TRP), a private dump site near Greymouth.
The action followed “an abatement notice” issued by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to the TRP landfill “in relation to leaching of contaminated water” last week.
Mayor Tania Gibson said the EPA’s finding validated the district council’s belief that “the landfill should never have been approved”. “Council has had concerns ... since its inception, and is pleased the EPA is involved and investigating,” said Gibson, who urged the regional council to “revoke the consents immediately”.
The private dump site, around the Coal Creek 5km east of Greymouth, was originally consented in 2021 to only take clean-fill demolition. But subsequent variations allowed by the regional council saw that advance to toxic materials including asbestos, coal tar and old tyres. The 20-year resource consent allows TRP landfill to take up to 30,000 cubic metres of demolition waste, including asbestos.
It made headlines early last year when Gibson said the landfill kept her awake at night, particularly given the proximity of the site to the Greymouth water treatment station just below the landfill. The site was also subject to complaints about foul odours.
Last August, two landfill workers were taken to hospital, one in a critical condition, after being overcome by fumes.
The resource consent was under review by the regional council, who admitted later consents were not done properly. Council gained affected-party approval from the land owner, who at the time was former council chairperson Andrew Robb. Robb told The Press he had since sold the property and site.
The regional council announced in January it had transferred the investigation into potential contaminant discharges to EPA.
“There are many unanswered questions around the impact of the landfill,” Gibson said. Concerns related to the long-term security of the district’s water supply, but also “the impact that leachate will have on the local environment, the Grey River and Greymouth”.
The district council had not had any reassurance on how the site would stand up to “prolonged heavy rainfall and natural events, such as earthquakes”, according to the mayor.
“We are engaging with the regional council and will be increasing the monitoring of groundwater between the landfill and water supply intakes,” she said.