Council moves to reassure public over Wairoa landfill rumours

Wairoa District Council has issued two statements in as many days to curb speculation about the effects of contaminated material being taken to the town's landfill.

The material, excavated from Carter's old timber treatment plant in East Clyde, is being transported to Wairoa landfill for disposal.

The plant is classified as a 'Hail' site – short for Hazardous Activities and Industries List – a Ministry for the Environment register identifying industries and activities with the potential to cause land contamination.

An anonymous email sent to media said "dozens and dozens of truckloads of soil ... much of it highly contaminated" had been dumped at the landfill over the past fortnight and was expected to continue for another couple of weeks.

While the Council owns the landfill, its management and operations are contracted to Smart Environmental.

The email also claimed Smart Environmental staff had urine tests, and that "one that I am aware of showing significantly elevated levels of arsenic".

The council's chief executive Matt Lawson said the council was aware of the speculation about a worker having a positive urine test for arsenic.

The Wairoa landfill was a Class 1 landfill which was suitable for disposal of the excavated material, Lawson said.

"Simply because someone anecdotally has had an elevated arsenic test, is not proof of cause and effect."

He said seafood, smoking, rice and some bore or groundwater were common sources of raised urine arsenic levels.

More test results of Smart Environmental staff would available over the next few weeks, he said.

There was dust control on site and staff wore gloves, eye protection and safety boots, and used handwashing and boot cleaning facilities.

Lawson said experts recommended that staff don't eat, drink, or smoke in the work area.

He said the contaminants were not absorbed through the skin.

"The only way is through ingestion of contaminated food or drink, or through inhalation of dust.

"So, if dust settles on food or is inhaled while smoking, these could be possible pathways for contamination."

He said cleaning up the site and disposing of the material at the landfill was the responsible thing for the property owners to do.

"They have had the necessary Resource Consent from Hawke's Bay Regional Council for the implementation of the Remedial Action Plan and HBRC is the relevant Council responsible for managing and consenting discharges to Air, Land and Water.

"This is waste that has been taken to a facility that is designed to take contaminated waste streams of all types. It's buried, with all the other waste."

He said there was a process that a Hail site must go through.

"It's not just a matter of digging it out and taking it to the dump. It is washed and graded and there is a thorough testing process."

Lawson said he hoped the council's statements had reassured residents that the situation was being properly managed and that the property owner had followed the correct procedures.

Smart Environmental chief executive Todd McLeay said he was unable to comment.