Ongoing silt, water, and air testing at the Awatoto industrial area has shown chemical contamination is not at concerning levels, says Napier City Council spokeswoman Jess Soutar Baron.
As a result, the hard cordon first put in place on 5 March on the advice of the Science and Technical Advisory Committee in Wellington, is being relaxed. Traffic will be permitted to move in both directions on Waitangi Road from Monday 3 April. See details below.
Silt and flood-damaged materials are now being removed from the kerbside of nearby homes, while silt on industrial sites was still being tested.
Business owners must provide any results to NCCs environmental solutions team after which individual plans will be put in place for silt removal.
“Clean silt and that which is contaminated with e.coli will be held temporarily within the Awatoto Industrial Zone on land owned by Napier City Council. Other contaminated silts will be taken out of the area,” she said.
BioRich chief executive Nigel Halpin said business were pleased that the issue of potential chemical contamination has been given the all-clear and businesses were happy that the council had provided help and were now retreating so they could get back to running their respective businesses.
“Everyone’s in various degrees of clean up. Some people are complete, some people are hardly starting. Some people have far bigger issues than the silt – electrical and machinery damage. We’re glad the chemical contamination risks have been taken care of and everyone is well aware of what their requirements are under WorkSafe to run a safe site, as they would any day of the year as a business owner.”
The BioRich facility would be opening again very soon, and silt testing had come back with no issues, he said.
“It’s been an interesting way to bring the community together,” he concluded.
Ambient monitoring units will continue to be used to monitor that dust suppression is working.
Cordon details from NCC:
“Due to some challenges with keeping the road clean and clear through the Awatoto Industrial Zone we are making changes to the cordon before it can be removed completely. The cordon will remain in place until Monday 3 April with some modifications. This is a different approach than was communicated yesterday.
“Tonight, the cordons at the northern end will move to be a single cordon at the corner of Waitangi Road and Awatoto Road. This allows vehicles ease of access through Awatoto Road. The vehicle wash at the southern end of Waitangi Road will cease today. Over the next few days further road cleaning will take place.
“From Monday 3 April, a road closure will be put in to the west of the road entrance to BioRich. The controlled cordon at the northern end will be softened to a road barrier. The road barriers will be manned during daylight hours and there will be security guards on site through the night. Traffic will be permitted to move in both directions on Waitangi Road from Monday 3 April.”
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