Historic landfill site to be cleared

• Published date: 03 November 2021

According to the Hastings District Council, the dump near the banks of the Karituwhenua Stream in Palmbrook Reserve appears to date from the 1960s or 1970s and was discovered in July when a volunteer planting group cleared weeds to prepare for new planting work.

Material uncovered includes old roofing iron, other building materials, earthenware pipes and machinery, and asbestos which was removed urgently when the issue was revealed.

A comprehensive plan to remove as much rubbish as possible without impacting the stream has been put together by the council and the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council.

It includes using an excavator to remove rubbish, after which a retaining wall will be built to protect the stream bank from collapsing into the waterway. The area will be covered and planted.

HDC asset group manager Craig Thew said historic landfills, both private and public, are an issue for councils across New Zealand.

“Unfortunately, good records were not kept, so that meant trawling through old documents to find references to sites and following those up,” he said.

The council carried out comprehensive investigations into historic council dump sites last year, and Thew said: “The ones we have found have been investigated and are being monitored, especially after heavy weather events.”

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