‘Your Choice’ Stormwater Workshops in Whakatu

‘Your Choice’ Stormwater Workshops at Whakatu Businesses

A programme to encourage more Hawke’s Bay businesses to protect streams and rivers is coming to Whakatu businesses this month.

The ‘Your Choice’ programme is offered free to businesses by Hawke’s Bay Regional Council which is targeting specific stream catchments at risk from industrial spills.

Whereas sewage goes through treatment works, stormwater has no treatment. So whatever washes down a stormwater drain from a house, roadway or industrial site – cigarette butts, rubbish or hazardous chemicals – goes straight into local streams, rivers and into the sea.

‘Your Choice’ will be introduced to Whakatu businesses by Rachel Thomas, Hawke’s Bay Regional Council’s new community engagement coordinator.

“Businesses have given this programme a thumbs up, as chemical or other pollutant spills have a huge impact on their profitability. They lose product, there’s the cost of the spill response and clean up, not to mention the possible cost of any fines, legal fees and prosecutions,” says Rachel Thomas.

The programme will start in Whakatu with an information seminar next week. This will be followed up with visits to businesses, advice on their specific site needs, and providing them with emergency contact lists, signage, templates for management plans and ‘rain only’ stencils to mark stormwater drains.

The aim is for businesses to meet the Top 5 best practice pollution prevention standards which are - having a stormwater management plan, labelling stormwater drains, training staff, having spill kits and having plans to manage spills on site. Where Regional Council staff see practices that could cause pollution, they will work with managers and staff to improve their site.

‘Your Choice’ has already been adopted as a programme by businesses in Onekawa where stormwater flows into Ahuriri Estuary, and in Hastings alongside the Ruahapia Stream. Many of these have achieved the Top 5.

Participating businesses have been positive about the programme with feedback such as “We found the whole process very good and easy to understand” and “It made people think about how important it is to prevent waste going to stormwater.”

Rachel says that what made an impact with workers in the first trials of the ‘Your Choice’ programme last year was making the connection between what they do at work and how this can benefit places their families enjoy for fishing or swimming.

“For urban residents, washing cars on the grass instead of the driveway and keeping litter out of gutters are simple ways to protect stormwater. Businesses have more challenges, such as the size of the risk and staff turnover, but ‘Your Choice’ helps businesses understand the benefits to their business and their employees lifestyle and helps them work towards achieving the Top 5.”

Some businesses have taken extra steps to regularly clear rubbish or plant trees around neighbouring streams so that staff can enjoy the outdoor space during breaks.
Two of the ‘Your Choice’ participants have gone on to win the Motor Trade Association Environmental Award, and one of those won a Hawke’s Bay Environmental Award for going the extra distance.
Hawke’s Bay Regional Council is running the programme with groups of businesses – such as Whakatu – to focus on protecting priority waterways, but Rachel says that any business elsewhere in the region which wants to take action can contact her for information and advice.

ENDS

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