Waiwhetu Stream cleanup costs rising

Failure to waive dumping levy 'poor decision'

BY NICHOLAS BOYACK - HUTT NEWS

The cost of cleaning up the polluted Waiwhetu Stream is rising and extra funding is being sought for the $5.4 million project.

Work began in July clearing the lower reaches of the stream bed of a toxic sludge containing a range of metals and pesticides.

Funding has come from the Hutt City Council, Greater Wellington Regional Council and Ministry For The Environment (MFE).

A joint city and regional council committee that oversees the project met last week and was told that the cost could rise significantly.

Once work began, it became clear there is more contaminated soil and stream bed than had been estimated.

So far an extra 800 square metres of contaminated land has been identified and project manager John Eyles warned more could yet be unearthed.

The Waste Minimisation Act has also had an unexpected impact. The act imposes a levy of $10 per tonne of waste put in the Silverstream Landfill.

A bid to have the levy waived was rejected by the MFE and the extra cost could exceed $200,000.

Mr Eyles said that in order to cover the extra costs, he has applied to the MFE for additional funding from the Contaminated Sites Remediation Fund.

He told the committee that he could not give an opinion as to whether the application would be approved.

The decision not to waive the levy was bizarre, he said.

The MFE has told the regional council that the levy was a reasonable expense that could have been expected.

Mr Eyles said the legislation came into effect after the project was costed and there was no way the regional council could have costed it in.

"It is a very poor decision by MFE."

Mayor David Ogden and GWRC chairwoman Fran Wilde have drafted a letter to the minister appealing the decision.

Cr Roger Styles said the levy had been introduced as an environmental measure by the Green Party.

The situation is unacceptable and was "bureaucracy gone mad" and would not be resolved by writing a letter to the Minister.

Cr Prue Lamason described it as "ridiculous and unfair" as the legislation is retrospective and discouraged environmental projects like the Waiwhetu clean-up.

Mr Eyles told the committee that his biggest fear was not a possible cost over-run but damaging the main sewer line that runs under the Waiwhetu Stream.

The pipe services the whole of the Hutt Valley and rupturing it would have catastrophic consequences.

The condition of the pipe is unknown and the project had been modified so there would be no pile driving within 65 metres of the pipe.