A Marlborough trucking company, Broadbridge Transport Ltd, has been convicted and fined $15,000 after discharging truck wash water on to land, which resulted in the contamination of the nearby School Creek waterway in Renwick.

Broadbridge allowed truck operators to wash their vehicles at its Renwick wash station during the 2020 vintage, which coincided with the Covid-19 lockdown. However its facility was not designed to manage such a large volume of truck wash water or water that was contaminated. It was later discovered that the wash water residue was contaminated by crushed grapes and grape waste, and after flowing into a roadside drain it was discharged into School Creek.

Testing by the Council revealed that the creek was severely depleted of oxygen as a consequence of the discharge, which resulted in significant ecological effects, including the deaths of eels. The creek water turned orange and had a strong sulphurous odour.

The directors of Broadbridge pleaded guilty to the offence under the Resource Management Act, and agreed to enter a restorative justice process with the Council. This has resulted in the company committing to environmental improvement measures for School Creek over the next three years.

Council’s Consents and Compliance Group Manager Gina Ferguson said Broadbridge was open and willing to cooperate.

“This was a restorative justice process. The company was open and willing to cooperate from the beginning, and the severity of the penalty was reduced because of their good actions.”

“I believe they underestimated the potential impacts of the discharge, but did what they could to put it right. They accepted responsibility and took ownership of the issue.”

Ms Ferguson said she hoped the conviction would send a strong message to other businesses that fail to meet the requirements of the Proposed Marlborough Environment Plan and the Resource Management Act.

The Council was awarded costs.

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