Dune contamination tests done

More detailed tests for contamination in the sand dunes at Dunedin's Middle Beach have been completed and with results are expected within days, Dunedin City Council staff say.

However, it is not yet known exactly when the details will be made public.

The results are not expected to be presented to the council's Ocean Beach project team until January.

Council business development team leader Greg Sligo, a member of the project team, yesterday told the Otago Daily Times the results could be released earlier if needed.

His comments followed confirmation last month traces of arsenic, asbestos and other industrial chemicals had been found in the dunes at Middle Beach, beside Kettle Park, prompting a warning for the public to keep clear.

The contamination was found on the seaward side of the dunes, either side of Moana Rua Rd.

The beach and playing field remained safe for use.

It was believed the contamination came from the edge of an old landfill buried under Kettle Park.

The council ordered initial tests earlier this year to find the edges of the old landfill, as part of wider planning aimed at protecting Ocean Beach - the coastal area from St Clair to Lawyers Head - from erosion.

More extensive tests were ordered after the contamination was discovered, to quantify the extent of the problem, and Mr Sligo said yesterday he expected results would vary across the site.

The project team would use the information when making recommendations to councillors about how best to deal with the contamination, which could include excavating the site or constructing a new sea wall in the area, he said last month.

 

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