Sediment Seminars Aim To Better Protect Water

Officials are hoping up to 90 Northland contractors and consultants will attend one of a series of seminars designed to better protect the region’s waterways from harmful sediment runoff.

Franco Meyer, an Environmental Monitoring Officer with the Northland Regional Council (NRC), says although soil is a natural substance, few people realise it has long been one of the most serious and common pollutants of Northland’s waterways.

For that reason, under both the Resource Management Act and the Regional Council’s Water and Soil Plan, people have a legal obligation to minimise/manage sediment discharges. Those found breaching the rules risk penalties ranging from $750 ‘instant fines’ to prosecution.

“Sediment can not only affect water quality and the creatures living in the region’s waterways, it can also silt up estuaries and harbours, smothering shellfish and eelgrass beds. Additionally, soil particles can also carry nutrients like phosphate (which can be detrimental to waterways in large enough amounts) and potentially carry harmful micro-organisms.”

Mr Meyer says Northland’s reasonably high rainfall, diverse soil types and typography means sediment runoff can be more of a problem here than many other parts of New Zealand.

After a number of recent incidents involving unauthorised sediment discharges, the Regional Council is now planning a series of three, day-long seminars to help bring people up to speed on the rules and the latest sediment control methods.

Speakers at the Tuesday 31 August, Wednesday 01 and Thursday 02 September seminars at the Council’s Water St Whangarei offices will include staff from Southern Skies consultants and NRC staff working in the environmental monitoring field.

The NRC has sent out more than 200 invites to the seminars to Northland contractors and consultants working in civil construction/earthworks. At this stage, numbers are limited to 30 participants each day, although Mr Meyer says the Council will consider holding additional seminars if demand is there.

Each 8.30 am to 4.30pm seminar will also include a site visit to view earthworks and sediment control methods forming part of the second stage of Whangarei’s Kamo Bypass roading project.

“This is one of the largest earthworks jobs taking place in Northland at the moment which makes good sediment control essential, especially with all the rain we’ve had lately.”

Mr Meyer says the Regional Council last held a general seminar on sediment control in 2007, however, this year’s series of seminars is tailored more specifically towards Northland conditions and geography.

He says nationally, it has been estimated that more than 200 million tonnes of soil is lost every year to the ocean, with Northland believed to contribute significantly towards that figure.

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