Oil spill into drain in Te Kamo, Whangārei being investigated

Oil was spilt with some force into a drain in Te Kamo, Whangārei. Now Northland Regional Council want to find out who is responsible. Photo / Northland Regional Council

Northland Regional Council has appealed for public help after an oil spill in the Te Kamo suburb of Whangārei.

The spill is understood to have been contained to the stream it was discovered in, however, the council want to speak with those responsible.

Northland Regional Council [NRC] compliance monitoring manager Cathy Orevich said a member of the public reported the spill while out walking their dog.

“We think it happened maybe sometime last week.”

It looked as though someone had dumped more than one carload worth of oil straight into a stormwater drain which led to the “beautiful little stream”, she said.

Because of the splashback, it was believed to be a large amount.

Orevich said the toxic spill was concerning for the local environment as it coats everything.

Luckily the spill has been somewhat contained thanks to Whangārei District Council with a pump truck and NRC putting material down to soak it up. However, some staining on the stream bank and discolouration in the water remains.

She said residents were reported to be “really angry”.

Luckily the spill was in a sheltered area, and not near birds’ food sources, she said.

On social media, NRC asked the public for help.

“We’ve worked with our colleagues at Whangārei District Council to remove as much of the oil as possible before the tributary, at the end of Gillingham Rd, is flushed in the next rainfall event.”

“Unfortunately, complete cleanup is impossible without causing further damage to the awa [river] which means the streambanks are stained and some discolouration is still present in the wai [water].

The NRC said it wanted to find the offender and “we’d like to hear from anyone who can help”.

Orevich said the incident was a reminder to dump oil responsibly.

“They can take it elsewhere to do it,” she said.

In Whangārei, waste oil, household batteries and paint can be taken to the Re:Sort Centre at Kioreroa Road on non-amnesty days.

If you have any information regarding the oil spill, you can contact the NRC incident hotline on 0800 504 639.

Brodie Stone is an education and general news reporter at the Advocate. Brodie has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.