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Power Company Warned After Leaving Material In Stream
A power company has received a formal warning for dumping equipment in a Southland waterway home to a variety of wildlife.
In February, PowerNet was reported to Environment Southland by a concerned member of the public for leaving large metal structures on Motu Rimu Rd, just outside of Invercargill.
Despite the company saying it did not leave any materials near a stream which could adversely impact the environment, the regional council was quick to identify a breach and began investigations.
Environment Southland has now confirmed the water and land plan was breached, resulting in a formal warning and cost recovery of almost $2800.
Council resource management manager Donna Ferguson said the fee was for staff time, the follow-up investigation, and review.
“If there was another potential breach, it would be investigated in line with our usual investigation process and any outcome would be specific to the circumstances,” she said.
PowerNet acting CEO David Stevens said his company accepted full responsibility and would pay the investigation cost.
The issue had occurred as the result of “temporary storage of equipment within a natural modified watercourse”, he said.
“We accept that in this case we fell short of the standards we expect - and our community should expect - and apologise unreservedly.”
The matter related to a PowerNet project involving the installation of 21 metre-high power poles along Motu Rimu Rd.
After the incident was first reported, the company said the structures were removed.
“A metal pole liner and mesh frame were temporarily placed in the culvert alongside Motu Rimu Road to keep them off the road for safety purposes,” a spokesperson said at the time.
The incident was reported by resident Jacques Nel who said the waterway was home to an array of wildlife including eel, trout, spoonbill, and heron.
“At the end of the day, it’s heartbreaking to see something you’ve looked after that’s getting destroyed by muck and (what) looks like cement on top of the water,” he told LDR.
Environment Southland said it was common for tidal streams to have a high level of diversity.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
Local Democracy Reporting
Content from the Local Democracy Reporting (LDR) service is published by Scoop as a registered New Zealand Media Outlet LDR Partner.
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