Hammer falls on illegal dumping

A Wairarapa dairy farmer could be stung with a $20,000 fine for illegally dumping waste onto land and into water at Kahutara in rural Featherston.
The November incident is only the tip of the iceberg for Greater Wellington Regional Council that have dealt with about 30 pollution call-outs this summer.
Geoff Ewington, the council's senior enforcement officer, said the dry weather in Wairarapa meant farmers were illegally drawing from rivers that were already low.
The council was investigating two breaches of the "low flow" restrictions in Miki Miki and another at Clareville, Carterton.
Mr Ewington said they were also having problems with owners of lifestyle blocks drawing water in East Taratahi and at Parkvale.
The restrictions were there to protect fish, insects and other invertebrates.
"When they start taking beyond that, it starts adversely affecting aquatic life, especially the small streams," Mr Ewington said.
"Even taking a little bit can have quite a significant effect."
Greater Wellington is also investigating an incident where a Carterton farmer's chemical spray drifted onto neighbouring residential properties in November.
The next month, a Carterton farmer on Watersons Line, Matarawa, was caught burning tree cuttings that included plastic silage wrap.
Farmers aren't the only group getting into trouble with the regional council, as a roading contractor discovered just before Christmas.
The contractor accidentally dumped 20 truckloads of soil into an unnamed tributary of the Waiohine River while working in Waiohine Gorge Road, in Carterton.
Mr Ewington said in that case one of the drivers was dumping soil on the edge of the tributary with the intention of moving it later.
Placed too close to the edge, the soil fell in and Greater Wellington had to organise a clean-up using heavy machinery that cost thousands of dollars, and billed the cost to the contractor.
In another incident, three 44 gallon drums of oil spilled into the stormwater drains at a former petrol station in Featherston.
Mr Ewington said South Wairarapa District Council was able to pump the drains before the oil contaminated waterways.
Despite the incidents, Mr Ewington said they received about 20 pollution reports a month and this summer was relatively "normal" in comparison to previous years.