Concerns for Mount Maunganui Airshed as Higgins, Allied Asphalt seek to continue discharge of contaminants

Civil construction company Higgins is seeking resource consent to continue operations in the Mount Maunganui Airshed. Photo / Alex Cairns

A clean air advocate has spoken out against requests from two companies to continue to discharge contaminants into the atmosphere in Mount Maunganui.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council is calling for submissions as it considers applications from Allied Asphalts Ltd and Higgins Group Ltd that would allow them to continue operations.

Both companies operate inside the boundaries of the Mount Maunganui Airshed, set up in 2019 to monitor and reduce air pollution in the industrial area spanning from Tauranga Airport to Salisbury Ave.

Allied Asphalts has sought resource consent to discharge contaminants - particulate matter (PM10, and PM2.5), sulphur dioxide (SO2), oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and carbon monoxide (CO) - volatile organic compounds from heating bitumen benzene, acetaldehyde and formaldehyde, odour and dust.

Allied Asphalt Ltd is also seeking resource consent to discharge contaminants into the Mount Maunganui Airshed. Photo / Alex Cairns

Allied’s Aerodrome Rd asphalt plant has a processing capacity of 80 tonnes of hot mix asphalt per hour. This resource consent application aims to replace its previous consent, which expired on July 30, 2020.

Because the application was lodged more than six months earlier than the previous consent’s expiry, it has been allowed to continue operating.

It has applied to discharge contaminants from the existing manufacturing plant - while it builds a new technically advanced plant on the same site - and for the discharge from the new asphalt plant once it is built.

The new plant would have greater throughput capacity, but production volumes were expected to be similar to current levels. The increased capacity would reduce the number of operating hours needed, increasing efficiency and reducing emissions, such as an estimated 78 per cent reduction in 24-hour and annual PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations.

Once the new plant is commissioned and tested, the current plant would be decommissioned.

Higgins also sought resource consent to discharge contaminants - PM10, CO, SO2, odour and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) - to the air from the production of asphalt and associated yard activities from its Hewletts Rd plant. Like Allied, the request essentially seeks allowance for the civil construction business to continue operations after its previous consent expired in September 2020.

Higgins was also allowed to continue operating despite the expired consent.

The plant has a maximum production capacity of 60 tonnes of asphalt per hour and generally runs from 7am to 6.30pm daily. Its annual maximum capacity of production is 75,000 tonnes per year (TPY), but the historical maximum annual production has been 50,000TPY. Before then it was 30,000 to 40,000TPY.

Higgins already uses a venturi water scrubber to help combat pollution from its operations but, according to the resource consent application, it does not plan to add any further mitigation measures. This means its contribution to addressing the impact on the airshed would not change from when it was running productions of 30,000 to 40,000TPY.

Clear the Air Mount Maunganui representative Emma Jones said she was concerned about what was proposed.

Jones said she felt emitters such as Higgins and Allied needed to reduce their maximum annual production levels.

Jones said the cumulative effect of this with other dispersants from other industry organisations was concerning.

Land Air Water Aotearoa (Lawa) helps to monitor air pollution throughout New Zealand. Its website states PM10, in the short term, mainly affects people’s lungs and heart, and can reduce lung function, impair undertakings such as work and school and prompt more doctors’ visits and hospital visits. The long-term effect was a reduced life expectancy.

Emma Jones of Clear the Air Mount Maunganui.

Jones said she wanted to see all heavy emitters work towards relocating to a fit-for-purpose industrial zone within the region.

“For factories that say they have to remain as they are port dependant, then we ask that they use the most up-to-date equipment and technology to reduce pollution overall, in particular, contaminants released into our air.

“Globally, we know that air pollution harms human health, particularly the developing lungs of children, so why would we allow factories to continue polluting in this way, so close to our schools, sports fields, homes and local marae? We know better now.”

Jones said she felt the regional council was doing what it could to help combat “the terrible air quality and black dust problem we have”, but this was a slow process.

Asked if she felt enough was being done to improve air quality under the airshed, Jones said that while there were some initiatives in place, the port - and city - were growing so fast that “no, not enough is being done”.

Mount Maunganui Airshed. Image / Bay of Plenty Regional Council

“More of the tax generated in Mount Maunganui needs to be spent in Mount Maunganui on environmental improvement ... the Mount industrial area as a whole needs to take more proactive action.”

“I love the Mount, it’s such a great place, but like in many cities where there is a large heavy industrial presence and a growing residential community, tension and trade-offs will always happen. We have to find a way to co-exist.

“Ultimately though, what’s it all for if we don’t have our health and the health of our children? That’s what it’s all about.”

In response to Jones’ concerns, Allied Asphalt operations manager Brian Palmer said it was fully committed to playing a positive role in the achievement of the clean airshed goal.

“Given the nature of our business, our current location in the Mount industrial area is highly favourable to meet the needs of our clients. We are, however, working hard to reduce our impact on the environment and community,” Palmer said.

“As part of this commitment, we have applied for consent to establish a new state-of-the-art plant which would significantly improve and drive down emissions including air pollutants, odour and stormwater quality. Independent experts have assessed the new plant and their report shows that it will be well within the New Zealand guidelines for air quality.”

Palmer said that beyond this, Allied was also committed to investment in future equipment and technology as part of its long-term strategy, “including assessing alternative energy sources such as hydrogen”.

“We will continue to look to emerging innovations, which can be adopted to support us in further achieving our goals.”

The Mount Maunganui Airshed was introduced by the regional council to enable tighter rules and resource consent decisions and a greater ability to manage industrial discharges.

It is overseen by the regional council, which considers new consent applications for activities that discharge PM10. If the activities are likely to increase off-site PM10 concentrations, consent cannot be granted unless the discharge can be offset by at least an equivalent PM10 reduction in another part of the airshed.

Anyone who wants to make a submission on either application can do so before 5pm on May 25 for Higgins, and 5pm on June 12 for Allied, via the regional council website.

Higgins was contacted for comment.