Photo: Dunedin City Council
Toxic landfill under a South Dunedin seaside sportsfield is presenting an expensive barrier to shoring up against coastal erosion.
Kettle Park tops a former landfill site, where rubbish was dumped in the first half of the last century. It's right next to the sand dunes at St Claire's Middle Beach.
As part of Dunedin City Council's long term Coastal Plan to protect the wider St Clair to St Kilda coast from sea level rise, environmental and engineering consultancy Tonkin + Taylor has drilled 60 boreholes in Kettle Park to analyse soil samples.
They found copper, lead and zinc, some in very high concentrates. The Tonkin + Taylor report warns of the risk of exposing the waste following a series of storms which have eroded the dune system over the past ten to fifteen years.
It's estimated excavating the site could run to tens of millions of dollars, unless alternative barriers are put in place to prevent the sea from clawing out the contents of the rubbish dump.
Kathryn speaks with Mayor of Dunedin, Jules Radich.
