Kopeopeo Canal Contamination Remediation Project

Bay of Plenty Regional Council is working with the community to clean up dioxin contamination of the sediment in the Kopeopeo Canal.  The canal was contaminated in the 1950s to late 1980s as a result of stormwater from the local sawmill which treated timber using Pentachlorophenol  (PCP). The PCP contained dioxins as an impurity.

The Kopeopeo Canal Contamination Remediation project will use a staged approach to remove and safely store and bioremediate the contaminated sediment from the canal. A Project Steering Group has been set up to guide the project.  It consists of representatives from Ngāti Awa, Sawmill Workers Against Poisons (SWAP), Whakatane Waimana Rivers Scheme Liaison Group, Ministry for the Environment and Bay of Plenty Regional Council.    

We intend to use three separate sites for the bioremediation of the sediment removed from the canal. Up to 40,000 cubic metres of sediment will be removed. Map showing sites (8,313 KB).

Monitoring the Kopeopeo Canal will continue for several years after the contaminated sediment has been removed. The eels will be monitored annually until the Medical Officer of Health confirms they are safe to eat. We don't expect eel harvesting to be safe for two to five years.

The estimated cost of the project is $4.4 million, equally funded by the Ministry for the Environment through the Contaminated Sites Remediation Fund (CSRF) and Bay of Plenty Regional Council.

Find out more about the consent process for Kopeopeo Canal.

For more information check out frequently asked questions (24KB) or contact us.

We have completed the planning and design phase of the project. We are now in the consenting phase and in March 2013 Regional Council made a resource consent application which will be publicly notified and open to submissions.

For more information contact us - details below.