15 Apr 2013

Rise in breaches at oil/gas waste sites

8:30 pm on 15 April 2013

A growing number of dump sites for the waste from oil and gas drilling in Taranaki has led to a rise in the number of environmental breaches.

Before 2009, the Taranaki Regional Council issued hardly any infringements for the sites.

However, but in the past three years it has issued at least 10 abatement notices and recorded 19 breaches of consents.

Recent problems have included drilling mud blowing onto a beach, groundwater coming into contact with storage pits and drilling muds being spread in the wrong place.

Environmental quality director Gary Bedford said one operator was responsible for most of the breaches and has since cleaned up his act.