15 October 2019
Official Information Request No. 8140005571
(Please quote this in any correspondence)
Iain Rea
[FYI request #11164 email]
Dear Iain
Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987
Re: Risks of legacy PFAS
Thank you for your email requesting information about per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances
(PFAS).
Please see our response below under each of your questions.
1. Please could you detail the status of any ongoing assessment of the risk to both
human and wildlife from legacy PFAS containing firefighting foam used by the NZDF at
Ngataringa Bay?
NZDF has completed its site-based investigations in Ngataringa Bay and provided these
assessments to Auckland Council. Auckland Council are now working through the Ministry for
the Environment - PFAS Investigation, Response and Funding Guidance (April 2019), to
ascertain if any further actions should be undertaken by Auckland Council. No further action
has been taken by the council at this time.
2. What assessment has been done or is being done to remediate any contamination?
Auckland Council is unaware of any remediation assessment that has been undertaken by
NZDF, this is a question for NZDF. Auckland Council would not be responsible for
undertaking or commissioning any remediation works should they be required.
3. Please could you detail the status of any ongoing assessment of the risk to both
human and wildlife of legacy PFAS chemical dumping at the former closed Ngataringa
Bay landfil ?
Auckland Council is not aware of any historic disposal of PFAS products at the Ngataringa
Bay landfill.
4. What action is being taken or has been taken to ensure that PFAS levels in industrial
waste water, disposed as permitted by the NZDF into Council's wastewater system, is
within permitted levels?
NZDF have a Trade Waste Agreement with controls in place to meet the Bylaw mass limits
for PFOS and PFOA. NZDF discharge the wastewater at the appropriate rate to ensure the
mass limit per day is not exceeded, or at their discretion they may have the wastewater
tankered off-site to an appropriate waste treatment facility for further treatment.
Private Bag 92300, Auckland 1142 |
aucklandcouncil.govt.nz |
Ph 09 301 0101
If you have any further queries about your fourth query, please contact Leanne McKenzie at
Watercare. She can be contacted at
[email address] .
Should you believe Auckland Council has not responded appropriately to your request, you
have the right by way of complaint, under section 27(3) of the LGOIMA, to apply to the
Ombudsman to seek an investigation and review of the decision.
If you have any further queries please contact me on 09 301 0101 quoting Of icial
Information Request No. 8140005571.
Yours sincerely
Saree Biddick
Privacy & LGOIMA Business Partner
Democracy Services
Private Bag 92300, Auckland 1142 |
aucklandcouncil.govt.nz |
Ph 09 301 0101
