Tēnā koutou,

Welcome to the April edition of the Mount Industrial Community Newsletter.

Please read on for updates on the following:

• Air quality monitoring trial in Mount Maunganui residential areas complete
• Industrial Pollution Prevention audit programme
• Report It
• Recent monitoring, PM10 exceedances and Pollution Hotline stats
• Policy matters
• Fumigation - Methyl Bromide and Ethanedinitrile

Air quality monitoring trial in Mount Maunganui residential areas complete

A trial of low-cost air quality air monitors has been carried out in some Mount Maunganui residential areas for the past two months. The trial was run in partnership with NIWA who purchased and provided the new monitoring equipment on loan.

Ten instruments were installed around the Mount Maunganui industrial and residential areas as part of the trial to assess their operation and accuracy. Three of the units were placed adjacent to existing monitors to test their accuracy and to calibrate. Seven were placed in residential streets east of the industrial area.

The low-cost monitoring equipment is designed to provide indicative air quality samples to supplement existing reference networks used for regulatory purposes, such as the network we already have in place within the Mount Maunganui airshed. The monitors are calibrated to measure PM10, PM2.5 and nitrous oxide.

The advantage of this type of instrumentation is that it provides a cost-effective network that can expand across a large area. However, the quality of data is less than that of the reference network and should only be used as indicators. 

Regional Council and NIWA will now assess the data collected during the two-month trial to determine the usefulness of the technology for possible future deployment in other areas.

Portable low-cost monitors have been attached to power poles in the Mount residential area.

Industrial Pollution Prevention audit programme

Through the summer months we carried out our Industrial Pollution Prevention Programme audits in the Mount Industrial area. These have now been running for 14 years across the region and give the Regional Council an opportunity to partner with our District and City councils to work with industry to identify and rectify industrial discharge and pollution issues.

This year the audit programme has been somewhat delayed as we acknowledge the effects the Omicron wave has had on staffing levels at many businesses in the Mount Industrial area, as well as amongst staff at the Regional and City Councils. As a result, the Industrial Pollution Prevention programme has been paused until the wave is largely over. To date we have visited over 150 business premises and are appreciative of the time given to our staff and the efforts businesses are making to ensure their activities are not having impacts on the wider environment.

Report It

In late January a trial of the online pollution prevention reporting tool Report It was launched. This tool is another way the public can report pollution incidents to us, supporting the existing Pollution Hotline. The trial was initially carried out in the Mount Maunganui residential area opposite Truman Lane, where residents often report being affected by odours emanating from a number of different activities in the area, including commercial composting, the transfer station and a large fertilizer works. The Report It tool has now been promoted for use in residential areas around the Judea industrial estate.

The tool makes it easier and faster for the public to let response staff know about the impacts of odour by filling in a simple form on their mobile or other electronic device. To offer a high level of public service and response, an additional customer response team member was engaged on a short-term contract for the duration of the Truman Lane trial, well placed to proactively monitor air quality in this area and respond as required. We are now looking at other locations where it might be suitable to promote this tool within the region, including in the wider Mount Maunganui area. 

Recent monitoring, PM10 exceedances and Pollution Hotline stats 

The number of confirmed PM10 exceedances to date in this National Environmental Standards (NES) reporting year (1 September 2021 to 31 August 2022) is five. Three of these were detected in late 2021 and investigations attributed the exceedances to heavy traffic volumes influencing particulate at the monitoring locations. An additional two exceedances in late April are currently under investigation. Only one exceedance per year is allowed under the NES.

There have been 14 complaints received by our 24/7 Pollution Hotline this month in relation to activities within the Mount Industrial Area. 13 of these related to air quality and one was a coastal discharge. 

Policy matters

Regional Council staff have been in regular contact with the Ministry for the Environment (MfE) to obtain updates on the timing of the possible release of the NES amendments, and in particular in relation to NES Regulation 17. The Ministry website initially suggested that the NES would be released by mid-2021, but we understand that there is now no definite timeline for their release.

In his reply of December 10, the Associate Minister noted MfE’s undertaking to reform the Resource Management Act, and how national direction such as the NES will be incorporated into this work. He also confirmed that MfE are awaiting for analysis of the Global Air Quality Guidelines and the Health and Air Pollution In New Zealand (HAPINZ) study, to inform its reforms.
 

Fumigation updates

Methyl bromide

Methyl bromide is a fumigant used at Port of Tauranga primarily to treat logs before export in order to meet biosecurity requirements of the country receiving the shipment, principally China and India. It is also used to treat some imported products to ensure that no pests or diseases are brought into New Zealand. As a result of the Environmental Protection Agency review and decision on methyl bromide, there has been minimal fumigation of logs at the Port of Tauranga since 1 January 2022 as the fumigator test their ability to recapture the levels of fumigant required. There has not been any ship fumigation using methyl bromide either, due to the greatly increased buffer distance requirements. There has however been far greater reliance on debarking and phosphine fumigation (during transit to a destination port) for logs. Shipping container fumigation has largely been able to continue as before.

Ethanedinitrile (EDN)

Earlier this month the Environmental Protection Agency approved an application to import or manufacture EDN for use on timber and logs. EDN is an alternative fumigant to methyl bromide. It offers the advantages of rapidly breaking down after use and it does not harm the ozone layer. Trading partners’ acceptance of EDN as an alternative to meet their import biosecurity requirements is still required. Any future use of EDN at the Port of Tauranga would require a resource consent.