$6.5m toxic site clean-up to start soon
After more than 13 years of controversy, a contractor has been appointed to decontaminate the former Fruitgrowers Chemical Company site.
[ Chemical Company gets the profits, citizens get the shaft ]
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Subject: $6.5m toxic site clean-up to start soon..........................
Date: Sat, 30 Jun 2001 11:57:36 -0400
From: Stephen Tvedten <steve@getipm.com>
Organization: Get Set Inc. (www.getipm.com)
To: Paul Helliker <phelliker@cdpr.ca.gov>
Director, State of
California, Department of Pesticide Regulation
cc: Christine Whitman whitman.christine@epa.gov
Dear Mr. Helliker, I thought you might like to read an article entitled: $6.5m toxic site clean-up to start soon
29 June 2001 By SHERIEE SMITH
After more than 13 years of controversy, a contractor has been appointed to decontaminate the former Fruitgrowers Chemical Company site.
The Tasman District Council voted unanimously on Thursday to appoint Australian Company Thiess Services for the $6.5 million job, which is expected to be finished by the end of 2003. The issue was debated in a public-excluded session of the council's meeting.
Mapua Ruby Bay Residents and Ratepayers' Association chairwoman Wilma Tansley said she was "absolutely elated" with the council's decision.
"We have been working hard for a year now for this," she said.
"This is going to be great for the future generations."
Three companies put forward tenders for the project after carrying out decontamination trials on the site. It was heavily contaminated with pesticide residues, including DDT and dieldrin, by the chemical company until it closed in 1988.
The council, which has committed $2 million towards the cleanup, has agreed to accept a Government grant of $472,500 to assist the first two stages of the decontamination on top of the $3.5 million the Government has already committed.
Ratepayers are facing an additional $12 uniform annual charge next year to help pay for the project.
The draft annual plan includes $191,000 for the initial cleanup, so ratepayers will not face any additional charges this year. However, in subsequent years, the council will need to recover more than $191,000 a year from rates to finish the job.
Environment information manager Andrew Fenemor said the project would begin in the next two months and it was hoped the decontamination would be completed by the end of 2003.
In the first stage of the four-stage project, Thiess would take detailed measurements of contaminant levels across the site. Resource consents would be then be needed before excavation and soil treatment began next year.
The site would be cleaned up to various degrees. However, the top 50cm of soil throughout the site would meet residential criteria.
Mr Fenemor said all three cleanup standards on the site would protect the off-site environment from rainfall runoff and further leaching of contaminants into ground water.
Thiess would consult the community over the decontamination and its effects.
Deputy Mayor Paul Sangster, who last week tried to reverse the previous council's recommendation to put $2 million towards the project, said he was confident the site could be decontaminated to the proper standards.
"My main concern was that we would still be here in five years without the cleanup done and the council having spent $2 million," he said.
"What we have done now is given a commitment to the Mapua residents that after the cleanup, some of site will be a recreational area and I am hoping we can include some carparking for the wharf. There are also possibilities for some commercial buildings or residential properties."
He said the remainder of the site would be sold to cover the cost of the development and alleviate some of the costs of the cleanup.
"We can now see the end of the tunnel," he said.
Mrs Tansley said she could understand why some people did not want the cleanup to go ahead but it was time to move forward.
"This cleanup is going to make a world of difference to this area and the wharf, which is the heart of Mapua. Lets get on with it so we can enjoy it."
Environment Minister Marian Hobbs said the Mapua site had been a long-standing problem in the region and she was pleased to see that significant progress was being made.Well Mr. Helliker, just another example of the POISON "industry" taking the profits from yesterday's "solutions" and
running, leaving today's problems to the innocent public to continue to be exposed to and to pay for the partial
"clean-up". Truly amazing! I love the way POISONS are "regulated" all over the world! As a veteran Australian
politician once said "Put your money on Self-Interest, son, it's a horse that's always trying." Someday we have to stop
"trying" and start accomplishing!
Respectfully, Stephen L, Tvedten
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