There isn’t a lot of love for Stony Creek at the back of the Rutherford Industrial Estate, based on recent events.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Hidden from view behind a line of businesses, and heavily vegetated in places, few know what goes on there.
But twice now, in 12 months, there has been a chemical spill.
And no one is responsible for either of them, apparently.
The first spill was discovered on August 28, 2014, when a hydrocarbon substance entered a drain and polluted a 1.5 kilometre stretch of the creek.
It was only the good work of firefighters, who deployed booms to contain the substance, that the spill wasn’t worse. The EPA spoke to businesses in the immediate area hopeful it would find a match between the substance and one of those industries.
But none was found.
Fast forward to July 14, 2015, oil spilt into the lagoon on the creek.
Fulton Hogan found and reported the spill, which was at the back of its asphalt plant at Rutherford.
Firies estimated there was about 2500 litres of black oil in the lagoon.
Again, EPA officers began to ask questions, but again came up empty-handed. The spill was on Fulton Hogan property and the clean-up cost fell to them.
With no culprit there is no avenue to recoup the company’s $100,000 bill.
The incident has rightly disappointed Fulton Hogan since no one has owned up, which makes the EPA’s job difficult.
It is said that bad things happen while good people remain silent.
If you know something that can be substantiated either tell the authorities or come to us.
People can report incidents via the EPA’s 24-hour environment line on 131 555.