DOC takes over Fox River rubbish dump clean-up from Westland council

Wednesday, 19 June 2019

The Department of Conservation (DOC) will replace Westland District Council (WDC) as the lead agency co-ordinating the clean-up of the riverbed and coast polluted by the Fox River landfill erosion.

Westland District Council says it was forced to abandon the clean-up at the end of May after spending nearly $600,000.

About 75 kilometres of coastline and riverbed was strewn with rubbish, after torrential rainfall and flooding in late March exposed a disused landfill at Fox River. 

Volunteers kept cleaning the riverbed and beaches, despite funding being cut. 

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The Minister of Conservation and Associate Minister for the Environment Eugenie Sage said the Government gave the council $300,000, as well as DOC providing $130,000 of in-kind support.

She said DOC would take over because the council had told her it had no resources or capacity to do more work.

'With DOC now taking charge of the on-going clean-up efforts, the Department will do as much as it can to remove rubbish from the riverbed and prevent it ending up on beaches, and in the sea,' she said. 

'The Fox River flows through Westland/Tai Poutini National Park. It and the Cook River, nearby wetlands and the coast have high natural values which deserve protection. Tourism businesses in the area rely on the South Westland's spectacular landscapes and New Zealand's clean-green reputation. Piles of rubbish in the riverbed also means the reality risks not matching the image.'

However, she added the move was not a precedent for councils to relinquish their responsibilities over landfills. 

'DOC is taking the lead in the clean-up because of the internationally significant values of the national park and the Fox River area. The responsibility for the actual landfill and ensuring no more rubbish can be eroded into the Fox River remains with Westland District Council,' she said.     

She acknowledged the impressive work volunteers had done to help remove rubbish alongside DOC staff and council contractors.

'A 50km stretch of coastline was cleared of obvious rubbish by a major volunteer effort before the end of May. The focus for the clean-up has now shifted to the Fox and Cook riverbeds, over a distance of approximately 21km and around 1620ha.'

She said a challenging issue was debris and logs had trapped a significant amount of rubbish along the river in dams. Heavy machinery was required to remove the logs and dams and a 'significant amount of people time' was required to remove the rubbish.

 Anyone interested in volunteering, can register online at bit.ly/OperationTidyFox

​Westland mayor Bruce Smith said he was delighted with the announcement. 

It was beyond council's ability both to finance and resource the clean-up, he said. 

The council had diverted the river away from the landfill and put in a 'substantial' wall to protect it from further erosion. However, he believed it would need a longer term solution, which could include removing the landfill. There were a number of similar at risk historic landfills along the Coast which would need protection or removal, he said. He was unsure of the costs involved, but said the council chief executive and staff were working on it with the regional councils. 

The landfill was in operation from the 1960s until the early 2000s.