Council works to determine extent of diesel leak

Christchurch City Council is working with the regional council and health authorities to determine the impact of a diesel leak in a confined area near the Horncastle Arena, Addington.

The leak originated from a damaged diesel fuel line at Horncastle Arena.

This map shows where the diesel leak occurred.

The damaged diesel line was fixed as soon as the issue became apparent, however, subsequent tests have revealed it may have been leaking for a number of years and diesel may have infiltrated the soil of the surrounding area.

Vbase Limited, which manages the Horncastle Arena, first became aware of a potential problem when a diesel smell was noticed in a stormwater retention basin near Horncastle Arena in July.

It contracted Petrotec Services Limited to investigate the cause of the smell. Those investigations revealed a stake was piercing the southern fuel diesel line of Horncastle Arena, causing diesel to leak out.

It is unclear exactly when the stake was driven into the fuel line.

The pipe was immediately fixed and a quantity of contaminated soil removed from the site. Environment Canterbury was also notified of the issue.

It carried out a site investigation at Horncastle Arena in late July and was satisfied with the remediation work undertaken but requested further soil testing in a wider, but still quite localised, area.

The results of that wider soil testing, received last week, show diesel from the damaged fuel line may have infiltrated the soil of some properties bordering Horncastle Arena.

“We now have a preliminary understanding of how far the diesel fuel may have travelled but we need to do more ground testing to ascertain the extent of the diesel fuel plume. Once we have completed all of the ground surveys, we will know the full extent of the contamination,’’ says Vbase Acting General Manager, Operations, Chris Mintern.

“We are working closely with the Canterbury District Health Board and the Council is conducting ongoing testing of the local drinking water to check for contaminants.

Canterbury Medical Officer of Health Dr Alistair Humphrey says that liquid diesel in the ground is not toxic to humans.  If diesel has entered into some local water supplies, the taste and odour will be detected long before any toxic effects from ingestion are likely to occur.

If anyone notices a taste or smell of diesel in their drinking water, they should contact the Council on 941899 or 0800 800169, Dr Humphrey says

Mr Mintern says once the full extent of the diesel plume is known, Vbase will work with Environment Canterbury to determine the best remediation strategy.

Christchurch’s Acting Mayor Councillor Andrew Turner says Councillors were briefed on the situation this morning.

“Our immediate concern is the welfare of residents, businesses and their staff who maybe affected by this diesel leak. We have sought assurances from Council staff that appropriate agencies and local residents are being advised of the situation and the measures that are being taken to address it.

“We are taking this issue very seriously and have asked to be kept informed about the scale of the problem and the measures that are being taken to remedy it,’’ Cr Turner says.

The Council has also begun testing the quality of water in the nearby waterways to determine whether any diesel may have leaked into them.