A diesel spill of more than 16,000 litres from a fatal petrol tanker crash has prompted fears of pollution in the Puarenga Stream in Rotorua.
Council staff and iwi have teamed up to absorb the fuel and prevent it from reaching the Whakarewarewa Village, an historic pā site further downstream.
Te Maiora Rurehe, environmental manager for Tuhourangi Tribal Authority, said there was a “huge volume” of oil floating on the water, as well as seepage into the earth.
“As you go down, you can smell the diesel, you can basically feel the diesel, and you can see where it’s seeping into the waterways.
“We’ve been working with regional council to deploy booms, is what they call them, to absorb the diesel, and to prevent it from flowing downstream.”
The booms were 3-metre long, hydrophobic floating plastic devices used as a filtration system. They could absorb up to 30 litres of oil and started to sink when full.
Rurehe said he was told by the regional council that it was one of the worst environmental disasters since 2015.
In the early hours on Friday, August 15, a petrol tanker rolled on State Highway 5, south of Rotorua, killing the driver and spilling thousands of litres of fuel down the hillside.
Stephen Mellor, regulatory compliance manager for Bay of Plenty Regional Council, said the council was notified of the accident and diesel spill at approximately 2.50am. He said staff went to the site with spill response equipment and maintained a presence throughout the weekend.
Mellor said the focus remained on minimising impact to the taiao and absorbent material had been laid around the site to reduce the risk of further diesel spreading on land, including more than 22 booms along the Kuaka and Puarenga streams, and ongoing monitoring for signs of diesel.
“Diesel will weather and evaporate over time, and turbulence will help this process, but because some diesel has seeped into the ground and rain is forecasted, a slight odour and sheen may be present for a number of days or even weeks.”
He said they were working with local iwi on the response, and both iwi members and staff have traversed the rugged terrain to deploy dozens of absorbent booms along the waterway.
But fuel was seeping through, leading to fears that it would reach Whakarewarewa Village further downstream.
Tanya Robinson, Whakarewarewa Village’s general manager, said the Puarenga Stream ran through the small settlement. “In many ways, that’s the lifeblood for our village,” she said.
Rurehe said the stream was a significant part of the history of the iwi.
“For those who know Whakarewarewa, the Puarenga has a legacy for penny diving, and this was the washing place of our ancestors.”
Rurehe said: “We’re fortunate because there is geothermal along the way and we’re told that that helps break down the diesel as it passes thru Te Puia and Whakarewarewa.
“But we can never be quite sure on the health impacts that the diesel will have on our uri who choose to swim in the Puarenga.”
With the extent of the damage still unclear, the clean up could take several weeks.
Mellor urged anyone who saw or smelled diesel in the Kuaka, Tureporepo and Puarenga stream area to avoid entering the waterways.
