Wildlife hospital inundated with ducks affected by toxic spill after factory fire
A wildlife hospital is inundated with ducks covered in oil since a Kaiapoi factory fire spilled a toxic product into nearby rivers.
Fifteen ducks have been transferred to the South Island Wildlife Hospital in Christchurch since the blaze destroyed the factory, but three subsequently died.
Veterinarian Pauline Howard said the 12 remaining ducks were doing well but would need intensive care in the coming weeks to wash and waterproof their feathers.
Called wet feather, the condition occurs when a duck’s feathers become waterlogged, due to contamination with oil, detergents, lice or sooty black mould, causing them to lose their ability to repel water.
Howard said the ducks were unable to control their body temperature while they were covered in oil and that had caused two deaths, with one arriving too hot and another arriving too cold to save.
Sutton Tool NZ, Australasia’s largest drill bit manufacturer, suffered catastrophic damage in its main manufacturing facility after fire engulfed the building in the early hours of Sunday.
The blaze was so fierce a nearby resident described feeling a heat blast on his face after one explosion, and people from up to 40 houses had to be evacuated to a nearby school because of the risk of toxic fumes.
The fire also caused a product called quenching fluid to leak via stormwater drains into the Kaiapoi and Waimakariri rivers.
Designed to rapidly control the cooling of steel or other materials as part of the hardening process, the fluid produced oil slicks on the surface of the rivers.
Environment Canterbury on-scene commander Emma Parr said 18 New Zealand scaup – or black teal ducks – affected by oil had been captured and transported since the spill.
ECan advises anyone who sees oiled birds not to attempt to capture or clean them but to ring the incident response team with details of the location. “It can be distressing to see birds in this way, but the best way you can help them is by letting us know where they are.”
Parr said a final flush of the stormwater link between the site of the fire and the Cam/Ruataniwha River was carried out on Tuesday. The flush did discharge some oil, which booms collected and sucker trucks removed.
Brooklands lagoon and some less accessible areas are being surveyed for oil, both on water and by land, she said.
“To date, we’ve recovered approximately 2400 litres of oil from the water using sucker trucks and another approximately 250 litres of oil using sorbent materials.”
Oil at the site of the fire had been contained, she said.
Kevin Donovan, general manager of the Kaiapoi site, said while it was too early for the company’s Australian owners to make any decisions about the business and its 80 employees, Covid-19-affected supply chains meant the company played an important part in hardware supply in Australasia.
“A lot of what we manufacture is important for Australia and can’t easily be replicated at the quality standards or costs the market expects.”
Donovan said the company had been researching alternative sites, and said both the engineering facility and goods areas had not been damaged. “It’s one day at a time at the moment.”
Council loan agreed to help Oxford fitness centre grow
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
The Waimakariri District Council has agreed to loan $200,000 so the Oxford Health and Fitness Centre Trust can start a 153m2 expansion of its facility at Pearson Park.
The existing 322 square metre building is owned by the trust, which leases the community fitness centre to the North Canterbury Sport and Recreation Trust to run.
The expansion will support the fitness centre’s growing membership, which now exceeds 400, trust chairperson Tim Fulton said.
The trust has already raised $55,000 and has a contractor lined up for the build, which is expected to cost $283,000.
It had applied to the Rata Foundation for funding but was unsuccessful.
‘‘The facility is well-used and needs more space, so we feel the risk is relatively low,’’ the council’s community and recreation general manager Chris Brown said.
‘‘The worst case scenario is, if the trust is wound up, the building will pass over to the council and we will have a good community asset.’’
The council will borrow the money on the trust’s behalf, with the trust paying it off over 10 years at an interest rate of 4.65% to cover the council’s costs, Brown said.
Responding to a question at last week’s council meeting, chief executive Jeff Millward said the council was well within its self-imposed borrowing limit of 250% of its rates revenue.
‘‘We could borrow another $150 million and still be within our limit.’’
The council’s debt is about $200m, around 150% of its rates revenue, with a large chunk of it being due to borrowing $100m to repair and replace assets following the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes.
The North Canterbury Sport and Recreation Trust manages five fitness centres in Rangiora (two), Kaiapoi and Amberley, as well as the Oxford facility.
The proceeds are used to fund community programmes such as sports coaching in schools and initiatives to help people improve their health.
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Poll: Is dumping an issue in your neighbourhood?
There's nothing worse than strolling around the streets in your neighbourhood and seeing dumped rubbish.
Have you noticed this in your area? What could we do to combat this around the country?
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42.9% Yes, I've seen some illegal dumping
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56.4% No, our neighbourhood is pretty good
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0.7% Other - I'll share below
Vanessa
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I was born on West Coast. I moved here when I was a little girl.
I like doing pictures here that’s why I like pictures. Doing art. I like going for a walk. I come here Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.
My sister, I go see her on Saturday. Have a cup of coffee, at home. She's five, nine. 59. I'm five, seven, 57. This year I'll be 58. My birthday's on a Thursday. I'm having chocolate cake and pizza. And lolly ice cream.
Some people are noisy. Nicholas, and Peter and Chris, they are my friends and that giggly girt over there.
I get headache sometimes at other work, because noisy.
I'm happy here. I could go for a walk if I want to. I'm good.”
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