Suspected diesel spill in Whanganui River recovered as much as possible

The suspected diesel spill in the lower reaches of the Whanganui River has been contained and recovered as much as possible by Horizons Regional Council’s staff.
 

Horizons emergency management manager Ian Lowe says staff were onsite until last evening recovering what they could.
 
“We trawled an absorbent boom between two boats through the area to soak up as much as possible,” he says.
 
“As diesel spreads out easily when in contact with water, and can cast a shiny film over a wide area, it’s not possible to determine exactly how much there was although we suspect it was a small quantity. When we left the site last night there were minimal visual traces left on the water between the river mouth and boat ramp.”
 
Mr Lowe says Horizons staff met Whanganui iwi and hapū, who are providing leadership and support in the response, on site this morning to check for remnants and discuss next steps.
 
“Visually the site was clear today, however there may be some residue left which we expect the tide to either draw out or evaporate in the wind and sunshine,” he says.
 
“Overall we don’t anticipate any significant environmental impacts from the residue due to the location and suspected size of the spill. That being said we don’t want to see any contaminants in the environment and are glad with have managed to recover the majority.
 
“It is heartening to have other parties, including iwi and people who live and work along the river, play a role in responding to the situation and bringing it to our attention.
 
“Iwi have, and will continue to, provide leadership on addressing the situation in the best interests of the awa. This has included ensuring there is a robust assessment of impact over the next few days/weeks and ensuring that the investigation of the source of the spill is thorough to prevent such incidents occurring again.
 
“We will continue to monitor the situation alongside hapū and iwi and visit the site over the weekend to manage any remnants that may appear.”
 
Department of Conservation (DOC) acting operation manager Whanganui, Jim Campbell, says to their knowledge there hasn’t been an impact on local wildlife.
 
“DOC connected with Horizons yesterday and offered support in their response which hasn’t been required to date,” he says.
 
“This morning three rangers visited the South Mole and adjoining estuarine area to check for impacts from the spill on wildlife. Staff collected a significant amount of rubbish but did not see any signs of the spill.”
 
The investigation into the possible source and cause of the spill is ongoing.
 
“Our compliance team collected samples of the contaminant from the site for testing to confirm the substance and possibly provide insight to where it’s come from,” say Mr Lowe.
 
“The team spent most of yesterday trying to find the source, which included checking some stormwater drains. We will continue to do what we can to determine what happened.”
 
The river management work underway for the Te Pūwaha port revitalisation project at the North Mole and boats in the port have been ruled out as sources of the spill.
 
For any environmental pollution concerns, please call Horizons’ Pollution Hotline can be reached via freephone 0508 800 800.