MEDIA RELEASE

Illegal Waste Dumpers Suspected

Manukau City (5 April) – Manukau Water Limited wants the public to be on the lookout for suspected illegal dumpers of waste into the domestic sewerage system in the Beachlands-Maraetai area.

There is evidence that illegal dumping of a substance has occurred in the area and this could potentially put the environment at risk. The mystery substance is thought to be a cause of rises in ammonia nitrogenlevels at Manukau Water Limited’s Beachlands-Maraetai wastewater treatment plant.

“There is some evidence that there is a rogue substance entering the system and we want the public to be on the lookout for anyone that appears to be dumping waste illegally,” said Martin Smith, general manager of Infrastructure for Manukau Water Limited.

“The exact nature of the substance can’t be determined at the moment but it would most likely be a liquid dumped through a manhole cover or possibly at a pump-station site,” Mr Smith said.

Monitoring of the Beachlands-Maraetai wastewater plant shows that something was discharged into the system in mid-to-late February, that caused very high oxygen demand in the plant. The substance is not thought to be toxic, but the rise in oxygen demand that was needed to break it down led to raised ammonia nitrogen levels at the facility. Manukau Water Limited has undertaken a series of measures to reduce those levels.

“We are doing all we can to protect the environment but the public can really assist us by letting us or the police know of anyone they suspect is illegally dumping any substance into our system,” Mr Smith said.

He noted that illegal dumpers could be subject to penalties under the Resource Management Act, including fines of up to $200,000 and up to two years imprisonment.

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