Consent hearing for controversial dump begins

The lawyer for a controversial personal dump close to Greymouth says the run-off from the location is not going to adversely have an effect on the city’s public water provide.

Talking at a useful resource consent listening to as we speak, Christchurch barrister Andrew Schulte made opening submissions for Taylorville Useful resource Park Ltd (TRP).

The corporate’s utility to discharge contaminated water from its landfill is opposed by neighbours of the dump and the Gray District Council, whose waterworks plant is immediately under it on the banks of the Gray River.

The applying is being hear by impartial commissioners Tony Cussins and David Caldwell.

Mr Schulte stated it could not resolve all the problems over the landfill, which TRP believed had turn out to be politicised within the dealings between the Gray District Council and West Coast Regional Council.

However it could tackle a shortcoming over dealing with leachate from the landfill within the West Coast Regional Council’s present consent.

“This was on the premise that unique landfill operation had not indicated that contamination of stormwater from the waste was thought-about a problem.

“In hindsight, and within the nature of the waste stream that was consented initially and subsequently by the use of variations to the consent, this was an oversight,” Mr Schulte advised the commissioners.

The consent now being utilized for would type a matter of urgency that arose in 2024, when the corporate couldn’t launch any water from its retention ponds [after heavy rain] due to detectable ranges of contamination within the water.

TRP stated the degrees weren’t vital.

“The priority was that they (the ponds) may overtop in heavy rain, which isn’t unknown on the West Coast, and lead not solely to an unintended launch of water, however have an effect on integrity of the pond construction.”

TRP was looking for consent on a brief foundation to launch water, to not broaden the exercise.

“It has already been handled to take away some contaminants and scale back ranges of others,” Mr Schulte advised the listening to.

Testing of the leachate by “suitably certified” individuals had discovered that potential hostile results have been at most minimal, and would adversely have an effect on native waterways, their ecology, or the Gray District Council’s public water provide, he stated.

Different points over the landfill operation could be comprehensively addressed underneath a underneath a brand new substitute useful resource consent, for which the corporate had utilized, he added.

“The applying for that has been lodged and can be publicly notified, as a result of there was what TRP considers one thing of a politicisation of the dealings between the councils,” Mr Schulte stated.

Ecologists and geologists performing for each the corporate and the Gray District Council are set to present proof on the listening to which is being live-streamed for the general public on the West Coast Regional Council’s YouTube channel as we speak and tomorrow.

– By Lois Williams, Native Democracy Reporter 

LDR is native physique journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.