Taylorville Resource Park Ltd has applied to the West Coast Regional Council for consent to discharge treated water from its landfill site. (File photo). Photo: LDR
The Grey District Council says the discovery of "forever chemicals" in leachate from a private dump has reinforced its opposition to resource consents for the company.
Taylorville Resource Park Ltd has applied to the West Coast Regional Council for consent to discharge treated water from its landfill site above the Greymouth water treatment plant.
Independent commissioners are considering the application after a hearing last month.
In a further submission, the council says additional test results emerged after the hearing.
The council says the results have raised new and highly concerning risks regarding the confirmed presence of synthetic chemicals PFAS, known as "forever chemicals", in the proposed discharge water - and in the roadside drain that connects to Noname Creek 2, which flows into the Grey River.
PFAS, or polyfluoroalkyl substances, are used in consumer products and known to persist in the environment and bio-accumulate in the bodies of fish, people and other animals.
The chemicals have been used to create non-stick or protective coatings and are due to be banned in New Zealand for cosmetics as well as being phased out in firefighting materials.
Environmental consultants carried out the testing for the private landfill.
A Taylorville Resource Park spokesperson said they recorded very low levels of PFAS - measured in parts per trillion - at the site. They are within the New Zealand Drinking Water Standards.
The company is working on a long-term response at the site, a spokesperson said.
However, Greymouth Mayor Tania Gibson said the council had always been able to rely on high-quality raw drinking water from its Grey River bores for the town's supply.
"We do want to assure the public that our drinking water is safe: there have been no PFAS found at the treatment site or in the water.
"But this finding confirms for me that we have been right to be concerned about risk, and cautious about the landfill and its discharges."
The council said the PFAS discovery was of concern because the scientific understanding of the chemicals was evolving.
"What is known, however, is that PFAS …. persist in the environment as 'forever chemicals' … and are linked to a wide range of health risks to humans, including cancers."
The possibility could not be ruled out that given the contours of the land, contaminants could find their way via groundwater, the roadside drain and Noname Creek to the council's water supply bores, the Grey District Council submitted.
The contaminants were also costly and difficult to remove from a drinking water supply, the council said.
"For example, there is media reporting of a water treatment plant in Onehunga, Auckland that was shut down in 2022 due to PFAS contamination.
"It is reportedly undergoing a $41 million upgrade with an expected completion date of 2027."
PFAS contamination could also result in Grey District Council having to complete a new water source location and treatment facility, the council said.
Taylorville Resource Park had recently been served with another abatement notice by the West Coast Regional Council for an unconsented discharge, the council noted.
"WCRC has established there was a discharge from the Taylorville Resource Park (TRP) Ltd site into a waterway last month (September)."
The TRP resource consents should be declined in their entirety, the council said.
A spokesperson for TRP Ltd said the company was doing its utmost to prevent leachate escaping the site and had appealed against the most recent abatement notice.
"Taylorville Resource Park were very disappointed to receive (the notice from) Grey because they've gone to significant lengths - and expense - to ensure water is retained on site."
That included the installation of two self-supporting, secure and enclosed bladder systems.
"These come at a cost of approximately $40,000 each, so they're clearly committed to meeting conditions."
Further testing was done to provide more information for the commissioners who must set conditions for the resource consent, should they grant it.
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