Coastal erosion is suspected to be the cause of approximately 120kg of asbestos found on Bluff’s Ocean Beach earlier this week, an Environment Southland officer says.
The beach was closed for a cleanup on Tuesday as part of a separate project, funded by landowners in the area, Invercargill City Council and Department of Conservation.
Environment Southland senior pollution prevention officer Leonie Grace said a member of the public alerted the council about material there in March 2018.
Samples collected by the council confirmed asbestos was present, Ms Grace said.
"The asbestos fragments on the beach are likely to have come from old coastal landfill areas on the adjacent land, which have been subject to coastal erosion."
Five staff from asbestos removal company Southern Insulation and engineering and environmental consultancy firm Pattle Delamore Partners [PDP] collected asbestos from the beach on Tuesday.
"Approximately 12 half-filled bags were removed and disposed [of] appropriately to a landfill."
The tender for the project was recently awarded to PDP consultants who were leading the "ongoing investigation".
"It’s expected that there will be some small excavation of trial pits to collect samples in early 2020."
Public access may at times be restricted and risk assessment would continue as part of the ongoing investigation.
