Toxic sites report stays secret for three years

Arsenic levels on an old sawmill site - and beside a rural fire station - were 66 times the safe limit, a report kept from the public for three years says.

Carter Holt Harvey, which owned the old Waikoau site, gave the report to Hawke's Bay Regional Council in August, after the council requested information on former sawmills in response to an Environment Ministry study of mill contamination.

The report - which also found PCP (pentachlorophenol antisapstain treatment) at 175 times the allowable level at a different site - was written in June 2005 but never made public.

Arsenic was found just metres from a rural fire station, and 100 metres from the nearest house.

Regional council environmental manager Murray Buchanan said any contact with the soil could be harmful to people.

"We don't want people in there. I mean let's face it, when you're dealing with contaminated sites you don't want people in there," Mr Buchanan said. "Kids getting in there and playing would certainly not be desirable."

The council has concerns about the potential for contamination to spread with runoff and has asked the company to conduct further studies.

The ministry has compiled a database of sites where PCP was used to assist regional councils monitor the use of these sites.

The former timber-processing plant at the village of Waikoau, about 40 kilometres north of Napier, contains two sites with extremely high levels of arsenic and PCP. Timber was treated at the plant from 1967 till 1981. Carter Holt Harvey has owned the land since 1978.

Mr Buchanan said he was surprised the company had not given the council the report when it was completed. "In the normal course of events if someone had a report like this they would provide it to us. They are not obliged to but there is a strong expectation it would be provided."

On August 6 the regional council requested the company to erect signs and fences around two sites. This had not been carried out.

Mr Buchanan said further studies were required by the company to see if contamination was migrating from the site into waterways or neighbouring land.

Mitigation measures at the contaminated site will be managed by Carter Holt Harvey at its cost.

Local farmer and volunteer fire brigade member Trevor Chambers said members were aware of the contaminated site and did not spend time "hanging around" the area.

Carter Holt environmental manager Murray Parrish said the contaminated sites had not been fenced off in the past because "the risk was not considered high".

"It comes back to the risk of exposure. If the site is not being used then what is the risk?"

Mr Parrish said the company was working closely with the regional council.