The child drowned in a Gore oxidation pond in late January, after he was seen by neighbours running along Salford St. The treatment plant is separated from his home by several hundred metres of paddock, bounded by a fence and a gate at Grasslands Rd.
His death was the subject of a Worksafe investigation, after which enforcement notices were served on the council, requiring it to improve the fencing around the site and improve egress arrangements in the event of anyone falling in.
The Gore District Council commissioned an independent review of the requirements from Worksafe which concluded that fencing around the site should be upgraded to at least 1.9m to 2m around the full perimeter of the ponds, action which was recently approved by the council.
Report author and SDC strategic manager, water and waste, Ian Evans said the review confirmed that although all pond sites had locked entrances and were well signposted to advise people of drowning risks and to keep out, ‘‘there is room for improvement around boundary fencelines at some of our sites’’.
Four oxidation pond sites and one water treatment backwash pond site were identified as needing immediate fence replacements: the Winton, Lumsden, Te Anau, Stewart Island and Riverton waste water treatment pond sites.
‘‘The identified sites present the greatest risk, given the proximity to local housing or are in high-profile locations or close to other activities that could attract larger (than otherwise expected) numbers of people.’’
The report recommended the council approve the unbudgeted expenditure of $211,631 to install fencing at the five treatment pond sites and that it be funded via loan from the district wastewater rate.
At the time of the incident, Gore District Council chief executive Steve Parry said the gates were normally padlocked and there was a fence to keep stock out.
