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Fines issued for infringement of regional plan

Tuesday 23 March 2010, 3:12PM

By Whakatane District Council

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WHAKATANE

Whakatane District Council has accepted that works it mistakenly carried out on a contaminated site at Mataatua Reserve were an infringement of the regional land plan. The error was rectified as soon as it was discovered and systems have been put in place to ensure similar situation does not occur in the future.

The regional council, Environment BOP, has issued the Council, its consultant Opus and Waiotahi Contractors with $300 fines each for disturbing a contaminated site without resource consent.

The Council’s Director of Works and Services Haydn Read said the contractors were aware the new water pipe works they were undertaking were close to the contaminated site but the intention was to not disturb any contaminated soil.
The project was being carried out in the road reserve which the Council does not require resource consent and an investigation revealed that the contaminated site was disturbed when the location of the pipeline was altered.
“The consultant and contractor believed they were still operating outside the contaminated site but they were not,” he said.

“As soon as the mistake was discovered the contractors removed the pipe and the site was sealed. An area of contaminated soil about five to ten metres long and 55mm deep was affected.”

Mr Read said the Council had put new processes in place to ensure changes to original work plans were closely inspected and approved before work continued.