It’s time to clean up your act!

Auckland Regional Council’s pollution response officers will be paying a surprise visit to some Rodney commercial and industrial premises during the next two weeks.

Fourteen staff from the ARC will be targeting an industrial area within the district during the day-long operation.

Officers will arrive unannounced at businesses during the “blitz”, which aims to identify actual or potential ground or water pollution issues and raise awareness of environmental issues.

Auckland Regional Council pollution response officer Toby Barach says the ARC are targeting Rodney because there have been two serious oil spills in the district in the past year.

The targeted area has also been selected because it is close to a pristine river, which the ARC wants to protect from polluters.

Last year, the pollution response team targeted an area in South Auckland and business owners and staff visited were generally very co-operative, he says.

“Most see it as a good chance to improve their business, get some advice from the council, and reduce the chance of a pollution incident occurring from their site. It is also a good opportunity for us to get out and do some positive, proactive work to improve the
quality of our environment.”

Environmental pollution is a serious problem in the Auckland region. Last year alone, ARC’s 24hr Water Pollution Hotline responded to more than 1400 calls about land and water pollution. The majority of these incidents were caused by spills or poor site operations at commercial or industrial businesses.

Mr Barach says the main aim of the “blitz” is to identify pollution issues. The ARC will then work together with businesses to help them resolve these issues, he says.

Environmental education is also a strong focus. During the day staff will give advice about on-site practices and the potential impact they could have on the environment.

“Shoddy work practices such as not having a secure bund to contain an oil spill can be costly for owners as well as the environment. Even small quantities of a pollutant or one accidental discharge can significantly impact on the quality of a stream. Fish, insects and plant life can be killed and habitats destroyed, and, in some cases, polluted streams may take up to 10 years to fully recover,” says Mr Barach.

Mr Barach says enforcement is usually a last resort, but in serious cases the ARC has to take action.

Polluters face fines up to $200,000 and two years in prison, so it’s important that people understand their responsibilities under the Resource Management Act, he says.

Water pollution incidents should be reported to ARC’s 24 Hour Pollution Hotline on 09 377 3107.

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