‘Sludge’, ‘stench’ concerns described

An old dump, separated from the Southern Ocean by a crumbling coastal road, could be home to toxic waste, residents fear.

Those claims, which have been addressed in a letter to Environment Southland, came from a former resident who said she saw environmental blunders first hand.

Colac Bay/Oraka is a small town west of Invercargill, home to about 60 permanent residents.

The community has been embroiled in a 10-year battle with the Southland District Council over the closure of an eroding road which they say is a lifeline to their coastal town.

In a letter obtained by the Otago Daily Times, Benita Dudfield said the patch of land behind the road was polluted by both residential and commercial waste, including car bodies, automotive batteries and motor oil.

Mrs Dudfield said for 33 years, she endured the smell of fires lit by people dumping their rubbish.

"On one occasion I witnessed a truck from Invercargill with a load of used batteries dumping at the site."

She wrote to Environment Southland in 2017 and said she was "well aware" of the site’s contents before leaving in 1995.

"On the occasions of a heavy rain ponding [sic] the area, an oil slick was always visible on the water surface. When the water level was low, a dark sludge and stench lay over the adjacent wetland area," she said.

Her concerns were echoed by a group of residents who called Colac Bay/Oraka home.

Alan and Deen McKay lived on a hill overlooking the bay and said their patch of paradise was home to blue cod, whales and Hector’s dolphins.

"We want the road reopened, that’s the goal. But the primary focus is fixing the dump situation," Mrs McKay said.

Mr McKay had lived in the area for 60 years and said the dump site had been there as long as he could remember.

"In four to five years that’s all going out to sea," he feared.

Despite the McKays’ and Mrs Dudfield’s concerns, Environment Southland said its assessment of the site deemed it to be of low concern.

"During its operation the Colac Bay landfill was consented and operated as a municipal landfill," Environment Southland senior pollution prevention officer Leonie Grace said.

"Risk assessments were carried out for the Southland Regional Council following the closure of the landfill in 2000. The site is considered to be low risk."

Research conducted by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (Niwa) echoed a similar sentiment.

Although the road was an eyesore and the Southland District Council admitted it did not know the contents of the dump site, a Niwa report dated July 2015 found the main issue for locals was road maintenance.

"In the scenario that ... the beach erodes into the former gravel pit, it is unlikely that the beach erosion will accelerate after reaching the gravel pit as there is a sufficient volume of gravel remaining to resist erosion," the report said.

At the time of its release, the report also said the majority of revetments along Colac Foreshore Rd provided adequate protection for areas behind the road.

At a Southland Regional Council long-term plan meeting on May 5, Cr Karyn Owen expressed concerns about the future of the road and landfill, and said the site had eroded 1m in the past 18 months.

The council has $150,000 allocated to a district-wide assessment of retired landfills.

Environment Southland has no plans to investigate the site further at this stage.

matthew.rosenberg@odt.co.nz