Karioi mill sludge 'just nuisance'

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 6, Issue 250, 12 July 1988, Page 1

Karioi mill sludge 'just nuisance'

Complaints about foul smelling sediment left on the main road by the Winstone Pulp Mill at Karioi have been received by the Waimarino District Council.

The sediment came from the mill's effluent treating settling ponds. Catchment Board officer Chris Fowles said the board had supervised the cleaning of the ponds at the request of the mill.

"They hadn't been used for a number of years and they (Winstone Pulp Industries) decided it was about time they were cleaned out," said Mr Fowles. « He said the board su-

pervised the process, which involved pumping the liquid fraction of the pond's contents to a ground soak pit. The liquid did not directly enter the river, said Mr Fowles. The sediment was carted away from the ponds to a site behind the mill. Complaints to the Health Department came after a large

amount of the extracted sediment was dropped on the main road. Health Officer Margaret Ferguson said the initial concern was at the smell and later, that the substance may have dangerous o r damaging chemicals. She said she couldn't foresee any problems with the spill of sediment as the catchment board monitor the river

closely. The smell would be from the anaerobic material from the bottom of the oxidation ponds. "It's not so much a health hazard as just a minor nuisance." Mrs Ferguson did not know what chemicals were in the sediment but said she thought the sediment was mostly waist wood pulp.