Westland creek pollution proves tricky for council
By local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
Murky discoloured water in Waimea Creek has become a sticking point for the West Coast Regional Council.
The catchment is one of the most intensive gold mining areas in the region at present with up to a dozen operations into the creek's upper reaches at Stafford and above Goldsborough.
Acting consents and compliance manager Rachel Clark told the Resource Management Committee last week that tracing the source of dirty mine water in the Waimea was proving tricky.
However a gold miner on the catchment who contacted the Greymouth Star immediately after the meeting on Tuesday noted the discolouration giving the creek a blue-grey appearance had appeared again that day.
The man, who declined to be named, said it was a bad look and he could not understand why it was so difficult for council to trace the culprit when the source seemed obvious to him.
"I know where it is coming from. It's very blue - it's obviously coming off the reef."
Blue-grey papa is usually associated with the gold bearing reefs within alluvial layers of gravel in the area.
The anonymous miner said the creek was in the same state in the previous 10 days when it had "ponded up" at the mouth, although it had now apparently blown out making the discolouration more obvious.
"It's not too difficult to trace where it's coming from - it's whether they want to put the effort in to trace it."
The miner said the council in past years would have acted decisively and shut down a culprit found to be the source immediately.
"They would never have got away with it," he said.
Clark said on Wednesday they had been notified of the latest incident and staff were looking into it.
"Someone is down there now," she said.
Similar incidents were investigated "almost immediately" as they were reported.
She earlier noted the compliance team had another busy month with the Waimea catchment "one of the biggest things" in council's sights.
As late as last Monday (July 10), the council had received reports again of a discoloured Waimea Creek.
"Again we're struggling with the lull between what has been seen and it being reported," she said.
At the same time council individual miners had been self reporting dirty water discharges.
Clark said they were potentially looking at doing some further investigation around the Waimea mouth.
"That's an issue and we're looking into it."
Councillor Peter Haddock noted the intensity of mining activity inland on what he described as "a slow moving creek" made the issue complex.
*Public interest journalism funded through NZ On Air
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A reminder this hunting season
As thousands of hunters are making their plans for autumn – the Roar – recreational firearms groups are urging hunters to always be 100% sure of their targets.
Te Tari Pureke - Firearms Safety Authority NZ, which chairs the Recreational Firearms Users Group, has begun a public information campaign reminding hunters everywhere of Rule #4 of the Firearms Safety Code: to identify their target beyond all doubt.
Director Communities and Corporate, Mike McIlraith, says there is an estimated 50,000-60,000 New Zealanders involved in big game animal hunting each year, and the Roar is the key event for many hunters each year.
“The Roar is a fantastic time of year for hunters to get out into the hills after a trophy animal but hunting safely and making sure everyone gets home in one piece, still must be the most important goal of every trip,” says Mike McIlraith.
“The consequences of not fully identifying your target beyond all doubt can be catastrophic. Our message to hunters is a really simple one: If you are not sure, then don’t shoot.”
Mike McIlraith says while hunting fatalities are thankfully rare, research has shown that misidentification of the target is the largest firearms related risk to New Zealand deer hunters, and 80% of the time this involves members of the same hunting group.
The Authority says hunters should not feel pressured to take a shot: “Instead, hunters should take the time to analyse their target, wait and see if it is a hind or stag, how old is the animal, how many points does its antlers have? Identifying your target means never firing at sound, shape, colour or movement alone.”
Mike McIlraith says good hunters will slow down, and run through some simple mental checks:
- Can I see the whole animal, or could this be another hunter?
- Where are my hunting companions – could this be them or someone else?
- How much of the animal can you see, if it is a hind or stag, how old is the animal, how - many points does its antlers have?
“Taking a little extra time to identify your target and check the firing zone is the key to safer hunting. No meat or no trophy is better than no mate,” he says.
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