Bay of Plenty Regional Council has applied for resource consent to the Bay of Plenty Regional Council and Whakatane District Council to remove and clean up sediment contaminated with dioxins from the Kopeopeo Canal near Whakatane.
The Regional Council is working with the community on the project, using a staged approach to remove, safely store and clean up the contaminated sediment using bioremediation. The method breaks down contaminants using a combination of fungi, bacteria and plants to degrade dioxin.
Full copies of the application can be viewed at either Bay of Plenty Regional Council, 5 Quay Street, Whakatane or Whakatane District Council, Commerce Street Whakatane. An executive summary can be viewed at the link below.
Public submissions on the application close on Thursday 9 May 2013.
Regional Council Pollution Prevention Manager Nick Zaman said the Steering Group managing the project included representatives from Ngāti Awa, Sawmill Workers Against Poisons (SWAP), Whakatane Waimana Rivers Scheme Liaison Group, Ministry for the Environment and the Regional Council.
The intention is to use three separate sites for bioremediation of up to 40,000 cubic metres of sediment removed from the canal. These properties are 1 and 26 Kope Drain Road, 44 Keepa Road and 49 Keepa Road.
The project is expected to cost $4.4 million, equally funded by the Ministry for the Environment through the Contaminated Sites Remediation Fund (CSRF) and Bay of Plenty Regional Council.
The Regional Council will have two open days later this month to provide information about the project.
The sessions will be held at the following two locations:
- Te Kura o Te Paroa staffroom, Paroa Rd, Whakatane from 2pm until 6.30pm on Tuesday 23 April
- Rangitaiki Independent School from 2pm until 6.30pm on Wednesday 24 April.
For more information please go to www.boprc.govt.nz/environment/resource-consents/current-notified-applications/