Updated 24.10.09 at 12:07 p.m.
### ODT Online Sat, 24 Oct 2009
ORC moves to clean up toxic home
By Chris Morris
The Otago Regional Council could move to clean up the site of a Dunedin toxic home. Council staff returned to the Selwyn St villa, in Northeast Valley, yesterday to take up to 17 new soil samples.
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### ODT Online Fri, 16 Oct 2009
Contamination list outdated
By Chris Morris
Angry business owners have won a concession from the Otago Regional Council, which yesterday admitted its list of contaminated sites, made public earlier this week, was up to 10 years out of date.
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### ODT Online Wed, 14 Oct 2009
Allegations of conflict rejected
By Simon Hartley
Allegations of a conflict of interest and unfair financial gain have been rejected by Dunedin City Council trading company Delta Utility Services, which has completed an internal investigation after concerns were raised by a staff member. Delta is an electricity services contractor and property developer. It also has water and wastewater maintenance contracts for numerous South Island councils.
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### ODT Online Wed, 14 Oct 2009
DCC reveals contaminated hotspots
By Chris Morris
The dark histories of 30 properties in Dunedin contaminated by petrol spills, buried asbestos and industrial chemicals have been revealed by the Dunedin City Council. The city’s confirmed contamination hotspots were released to the Otago Daily Times this week, following a request under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987. The council is withholding details of another 194 sites.
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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr
What if? Dunedin... 
### Channel 9 News Fri 16 Oct 2009 5.55pm
Otago Regional Council has relented and listed all the contaminated sites under investigation across Otago.
More in Saturday’s Otago Daily Times.
### ODT Online Sat, 17 Oct 2009
ORC identifies Otago’s contaminated sites
By Chris Morris
The Otago Regional Council has released details of 140 contaminated sites across Otago, but acknowledges other dirty properties could be flying under the radar. Council resource management director Dr Selva Selvarajah said the list was released yesterday due to the high level of demand for the information from the public and the media.
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OTAGO’S CONTAMINATED SITES
• 140 confirmed, managed, remediated or not contaminated (after investigation) sites across Otago, including:
– 33 confirmed contaminated sites.
– 35 managed sites.
– 15 remediated.
– 6 remediated/managed.
– 51 not contaminated.
• Sites still contaminated
– Andersons Bay Gasworks, Andersons Bay Rd, Dunedin.
– Oamaru Gasworks, Humber St, Oamaru.
– Finegand Freezing Works landfill, Owaka Highway, Balclutha.
– Craigpine Timber Treatment waste disposal area, Northland St, Ranfurly.
– Wingatui closed landfill, Gladstone Rd North, Mosgiel.
– Orokonui Holiday and Recreation Park, Orokonui Rd, Waitati.
– AgResearch Invermay, Puddle Alley, Mosgiel.
– North Taieri landfill, Milners Rd, Mosgiel.
– North Taieri recycling centre, Milners Rd, Mosgiel.
– Humber St Gasworks waste site, Humber St, Oamaru.
– Threepwood Farm Ltd, Lake Hayes, Queenstown.
– Shell Dunedin depot, Wickliffe St, Dunedin.
– Kakapuaka Garage/Scrap Metal, Kakapuaka Rd, Balclutha.
– Balclutha Motors, Elizabeth St, Balclutha.
– Wylies Garage Ltd, Northumberland St, Tapanui.
– Omakau Autos, Wilson St, Omakau.
– Lauder Service Station, Lauder-Omakau Rd, Lauder.
– BP Concord, Corstorphine Rd, Dunedin.
– Coronation Hall, Gordon Rd, Mosgiel.
– Shell Fairfield, Main Rd, Fairfield.
– BP Regent, George St, Dunedin.
– Gardens Service Centre Mobil, Cumberland St, Dunedin.
– Mobil Mosgiel, Factory Rd, Mosgiel.
– BP Hiway Autocentre, Usk St, Oamaru.
– Lengs Motors /BP Palmerston, Ronaldsay St, Palmerston.
– Glendermid Leathers, State Highway 88, Sawyers Bay.
– W E Perrin Ltd, Royal Tce, Owaka.
– Arrowtown oxidation ponds, Centennial Ave, Arrowtown.
– Toko Timber Treatments, Springfield Rd, Milton.
– Blue Mountain Lumber, Pomahaka Rd, Tapanui.
– Barrow Box, Cameron Rd, Tapanui.
– Waihemo Timber Co Ltd, Burraness St, Palmerston.
– 57 Selwyn St, Northeast Valley.
• Sites still listed as contaminated typically have low-level problems, because sites with more serious spills are dealt with quickly and, once they were fixed, they are list… [Online ODT has missed the remainder of this sentence]
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Note: ORC won’t release a much larger list of about 2000 sites across Otago suspected of possible contamination.
Lead levels between two and nearly four times the safe limit for residential use…
### ODT Online Thu, 22 Oct 2009
Toxic property shock
By Chris Morris
Members of a North Dunedin family are horrified to have realised they are living on land contaminated by lead – in a home owned by the Otago Regional Council, which knew about the heavy metal presence. The house had been rented out since it was purchased by the council about four years ago. It was one of 11 residential properties owned by the council. The ORC contracted Harveys Dunedin to manage the properties.
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### ODT Online Fri, 23 Oct 2009
‘Stuck’ in toxic home – mother
By Allison Rudd
The mother living in a rented toxic Dunedin property wants out. Tarlene, who did not want her surname used, said for the health of her three daughters, she wanted out of the Northeast Valley villa as soon as possible, and with financial help to do so.
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I’m not even going to ask what the ORC, the environmental watchdogs of the city, were thinking of when they thought it a great idea to rent out a house, scheduled for demolition, on a known contaminated site. Why was a bulldozer not put through the site on the first day. As Council did with the sewer house on Sommerville Street. You have to wonder if the pittance they received in rental was really worth it. Are they that strapped for cash ?
I presume that the bullet dodging, tap dancing, Mr Collins is the same Mr Collins that sits on one of the community boards ? Hardly a sign of confidence for the people of Waikouaiti.
Hate to think what the family blood tests will show.
Perhaps media training and professional practice coursing a good thing for all managers and staff with delegated speaking rights for the council. BUT where liability is nigh quickly consult internally to agree strategy, wherein media referred to the chief executive…ORC let this one get away.
The letting agent needs to self examine very strongly too.
Whole thing better be settled promptly and generously in favour of the tenants.
Lead poisoning… I really hope not, but at those concentration levels on site…
My understand of the effects of lead, as a layperson, is that it damages the fatty cells in the body. Where this becomes a problem for young children and babies is that their brains are not fully developed, and contain a lot of fat cells still. At least, that’s my understanding of it. Hence the concerns of the parents. Fingers crossed that everything is ok.
The media face of the ORC in this case is shocking. As you’ve said, Elizabeth, there appears to have been little, if any, discussions in house. Prior to bursting forth with quotations. Their staff are usually a lot better than that. If the real estate company was acting as the agent for the ORC, then that ultimately makes the ORC responsible for the actions of the company. Their dithering, and lack of direction from senior staff over this is quite staggering.
I hope there’s some serious bum kicking going on in Stafford Street.
I’m not sure ORC’s Graeme Martin entirely gets it…
### ODT Online Thu, 29 Oct 2009
ORC seeks to prevent toxic home repetition
By Rebecca Fox
An “upset” Otago regional councillor has asked what processes are to be put in place to ensure the problems with a toxic home in North Dunedin do not reoccur. Earlier this month, it was revealed three adults and three young girls had been renting a home in Selwyn St, owned by the Otago Regional Council, unaware the property was contaminated with lead.
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### ODT Online Fri, 30 Oct 2009
Cadmium also detected at property
By Chris Morris
The Dunedin home at the centre of a lead contamination scare has a cocktail of other chemicals in its soil, but the Otago Regional Council has warned against reading too much into the results.
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An ORC discovery!!! Concentrations of lead at 57 Selwyn Street, Northeast Valley, were higher than previously recorded, at nearly five times the recommended safe level for residential use.
### ODT Online Sat, 21 Nov 2009
Toxic lead could hit neighbours
By Chris Morris
Neighbours to a contaminated North Dunedin home are being warned to protect their children from possible lead poisoning, after the Otago Regional Council conceded the problem was worse than previously believed.
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### ODT Online Sat, 21 Nov 2009
Wants to know home safe
By Chris Morris
Dunedin woman Alice Peattie wants to know if her Selwyn St home is safe.
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