Westland District’s civil defence spending questioned
By local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
A new civil defence centre to be built by the Westland District Council at the Hokitika Airport has raised questions about who will pay.
The West Coast Regional Council is charged with co-ordinating and funding the regional Civil Defence and Emergency Management function for the entire West Coast.
Each of the three district councils also retain their own civil defence functions with staff, but are co-ordinated under the umbrella of the wider regional CDEM group during a natural disaster.
The fact that Westland was planning to build an Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) at Hokitika was raised by councillor Peter Ewen on September 12, and previously at the August meeting.
"I've never seen any paper come across this table," he said in reference to it.
Chairperson Peter Haddock said the matter was aired at a recent West Coast mayors and chairs forum and Westland had provided some clarity.
"Westland District Council are proposing that they build their own building up there - that they will be funding.
"It's something they're doing on their own bat but it was confirmed ... that they will not be using it as the main centre for the West Coast," Haddock said.
Chief executive Darryl Lew said the West Coast Emergency Control Centre remained in Greymouth.
But each of the districts were planning some form of EOC.
"There will be no call on this council's budget for the civil defence line on that," he said.
Ewen said as long as that cost fact was formalised he would be happy. He noted the prior experience of the regional council being billed by the district council for a share of the new Hokitika beach access cost, based on a verbal agreement.
"I'm reminded of the beach ramp problem. There needs to be paper work on that," Ewen said.
The regional council received an invoice from the district council for a share of the $90,000 plus cost of reinstating access to the Hokitika Beach.
It refused to pay when it emerged the bill was the result of a 'gentlemen's agreement' between staff on both sides, but with no formal documentation.
West Coast CDEM group manager Claire Brown recently said the move by Westland was strategic and would enable a physical separation between the business as usual functions at council's central Hokitika chambers and its civil defence function.
The move to establish a 'bricks and mortar' emergency operations centre near the Hokitika Airport was also regionally strategic.
Brown said it was a substantial piece of work but necessary in view of the "larger picture" overshadowing the region - namely an Alpine Fault rupture - and necessary to provide wider strategic resources for the region not just fixed to one location.
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Westport harbour fuel spill still being investigated
By local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
An alleged fuel spill of thousands of litres of fuel oil into Westport's harbour is being investigated, with officials seeking more information as accusations fly.
The Kings Birthday Weekend incident, on June 1, saw West Coast authorities spring into action to contain the slick after a troubled fishing boat limped into port.
The boat was apparently taking on water while also leaking fuel oil, via an internal bilge pump.
The port set up some booms to contain the spill while staff, working with a regional environmental response team, undertook a cleanup by suctioning about 2500 litres of fuel mixed with seawater into containers.
A further inspection on June 2 found about 200 litres of fuel residue lingering within the harbour basin.
On June 4, the West Coast Regional Council-- which has environmental oversight for the region's waterways - said the impact looked worse than it was.
The incident sparked social media outrage with people expressing outrage at the "f...ing disgusting" spill.
West Coast Regional Council compliance manager Chris Barnes said on Monday (June 17) he had decided to continue an environmental
investigation into the incident because what had occurred was not really clear cut.
"I want more information," he said.
"There's some accusations that came out I don't believe were true - but there is a bit more that doesn't meet the eye."
He expected an update with more information within council's quarterly environmental monitoring report early in July.
Meanwhile, the council was called out about 4am on Monday to a potential environmental incident about 25km southwest of Westport.
It followed a vehicle crash on State Highway 6 in the vicinity of Costellos Hill, about 5km north of Charleston.
A car towing a trailer had come to grief after apparently losing control.
The front part of the vehicle was left suspended over a waterway.
Barnes said a member of the public who called it in was concerned about oil leaking from the vehicle going into a creek.
Fortunately the vehicle's occupants escaped unscathed but the scene looked "pretty nasty", he said.
An assessment at the scene ruled out any major impact on the waterway, he said.
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