Sludge spill on SH25

Truck spills dead sludge on the road.

Last Friday afternoon, "dead" wastewater sludge fell onto State Highway 25 causing a road safety problem.

The sludge was being removed from the decommissioned wastewater aeration pond at Whangamata and transported to landfill. The aeration pond has not been used since January and the contractor has extensive experience in wastewater pond de-sludging operations.

The contractor transporting the sludge reported that the latching mechanism on the tailgate of the trailer broke in transit, causing the material to fall onto the road.

The contractor responded immediately by calling in "sucker trucks" to clean up the sludge. However, the Police shut the road because the sludge presented a road safety risk. The Police then called the official New Zealand Transport Agency roading contractor, Downer EDI Works, to make the road safe for road users.

TCDC has been working with Opus and liaising with Environment Waikato (EW) on the matter, reporting to EW's monitoring team from the time of the incident. An EW representative says she has no issue with the environmental effects