Ouvea premix . . . it’s finally going

A deal has been struck to fast track the removal of the ouvea premix from Mataura.

Gore District Council chief executive Steve Parry said yesterday that a ‘‘high level deal’’ had been agreed to in principle to remove the premix to a site outside the Gore district, beginning in March.

The removal would take about three months, he said.

About 9500 tonnes of ouvea premix, which releases ammonia gas if wet, is in the old paper mill building directly beside the flooded Mataura River.

On Wednesday, Mataura residents were evacuated from their homes amid fears the Mataura River would breach its banks, and that floodwaters would enter the mill building, creating ammonia gas.

The premix has been stored in the building since at least 2014.

News of the deal was was welcomed Stop the Dross action group spokesperson Laurel Turnbull, who has been fighting since 2014 to get the premix removed from the mill.

‘‘That’s wonderful news, and its great news for the people of Mataura. They won’t have to live with this cloud over their heads every time it rains, wondering how much worse its going to get.’’

The logistics of the deal were still being worked through, including who would pay for the fast-tracked removal, Parry said. ‘‘There’s a pretty strong expectation that the Crown will come to the party.’’

A new storage facility, outside of the Gore district, big enough to hold the premix had been found and needed to be made water-tight before it could be used.

It was initially estimated to take two and a half years to remove all the premix from the Mataura site, and about 500 tonnes had already been removed, Parry said.

Environment Minister David Parker said: ‘‘Not withstanding that with the flooding over the past few days the mill has not been flooded it has clearly highlighted the importance of removing the material from its current location as quickly as possible.’’