- Cleanup aims to stop further pollution from the old landfill near Ocean Beach in Bluff
- A 90-metre seawall will protect the site and help reopen public access to the beach
- The $3.5 million project is a joint effort between DOC, Council and Government agencies
Work has begun to contain contamination from an old landfill at Ocean Beach in Bluff, where asbestos and other pollutants were first discovered in 2018. Since then, the public has been kept away from the area to ensure safety.
Around 1.2 tonnes of asbestos-contaminated material have already been removed from the site by a specialist contractor. While the Department of Conservation (DOC) says the chance of public exposure has remained low, further erosion could worsen the situation.
DOC Operations Manager Murihiku John McCarroll said the project was essential. “The risk of public exposure is considered extremely low, but ongoing public and environmental risk is not acceptable, and further erosion will deteriorate the landfill - so there is a need to act,” he said.
The next phase of work involves excavating and sorting waste. Clean, usable materials will be kept onsite while the rest will be sent to a certified class A landfill. Then, a 90-metre-long seawall will be built using up to 6500 tonnes of rock to protect the area from coastal erosion.
“DOC and Invercargill City Council (ICC) are collaborating to install a rock seawall between the landfill and the beach,” McCarroll explained. “This will prevent future erosion and secure this significant heritage site for the Bluff area.”
The $3.5 million project is being funded by DOC, ICC and the Ministry for the Environment (MfE). Oversight is being provided by the Ocean Beach Landfill Working Party, which includes representatives from Environment Southland and Te Ao Mārama Inc.
Invercargill City Council Chief Engineer Russell Pearson said safety is the top priority while work is underway. “With work happening between April and June this year, there will be, at times, no access to the car park and beach areas. Restrictions will be publicly notified as early as possible,” he said.
Bluff Community Board Chair Ray Fife welcomed the progress. “I am pleased this work is now being undertaken after the extensive investigation,” he said.
DOC manages more than 1700 contaminated sites on public land across New Zealand. These sites vary in size and type, with many listed on the Ministry for the Environment’s Hazardous Activities and Industries List due to past industrial use, including landfills.