Gore's old landfill exposed by floodwaters

Wednesday, 12 February 2020

This photo shows buried rubbish which has been washed out of the banks of the Waikaka River, during the flooding in eastern Southland.The rubbish is from an old landfill/dump site.

Floodwaters have exposed an old landfill site at Gore and the town's council has called in expert consultants to determine the extent of the damage.

Last week's floodwaters scoured the banks of the Waikaka Stream, exposing the old Gore landfill, just upstream from Hamilton Park.

Gore District Council general manager infrastructure Ramesh Sharma said the council was aware of the issue and was working closely with Environment Southland and environmental experts to deal with it as quickly and effectively as possible.

'Our top priority is to stop movement of any landfill material from the site. We are urgently assessing what action is needed both in the short and long term to stabilise the stream banks and prevent any harmful effects,' Sharma said.

* No prosecution for Gore District Council for algal bloom discharge into Mataura River

* Marlborough District Council 'on top of' historic landfill sites**

'Some river clean-up will also be needed to remove visible landfill materials. If anyone sees debris that needs to be removed, please contact us on 03 209 0330 so we can deal with it.'

A council spokesperson said she did not know whether it was only household rubbish that had been exposed, if commercial rubbish was also involved, or how much there was.

'Back in the day the rules around dumping were probably not as strict as they were today.

'We don't know at this point in time but we are working on it as quickly as we can, and on a long-term solution to ensure it doesn't happen again.'

Environment Southland general manager operations Jonathan Streat said the Gore District Council was managing the situation with the former landfill and the clean-up.

'They are working on a remediation plan and will be liaising with Environment Southland's river engineers regarding the repair plan and any implications it may have for the river and stop banks.'

The old Gore landfill was closed in 2005.

At Hamilton Park, the playground, dog park and Waikaka Walkway trails were also currently closed due to flooding.