The council is refusing to take away piles of destroyed household items that line McLeod Road in Awatoto, Napier because they want to test it to find out what contaminants it contains, a resident says. Photo: RNZ / Niva Chittock
People living in a contaminated street in Napier are anxiously waiting to find out exactly how dangerous it is.
All properties on McLeod Road in Awatoto were being tested for various pollutants after Cyclone Gabrielle flooded an industrial zone just a few kilometres away.
High levels of ammonia and biological waste had been found in some places.
Workers in full protective gear were manning the cordon and clean-up there.
On McLeod Road , mud-soaked couches, upended chest freezers and broken mattresses stank of rotting food as the piles of ruined belongings baked in the sun.
One property owner, who did not wish to be named, said the council would not take it away.
"They told me they have to get it tested for what contaminant it's got in it so they know how to dispose of it. And the email [Napier City Council] sent said they had 'no plan at this stage' for what they're going to do with it," he said.
A view of the cordoned off industrial area from McLeod Road. Photo: RNZ / Niva Chittock
A few doors down, Pat Allison had been masked up while cleaning out the flooded family home.
"It's just a massive clean-up of all the sludgy mud that's been around here," he said.
"We don't know how contaminated it is at this stage so I don't really want to move back until I know that it's going to be safe for the family to move back."
His family were currently staying in a friend's house on the hill.
Neighbour Peter Mitchell said it took weeks for officials to tell them about the contamination risk.
"Two weeks after the fact, they turned up here with some PPE gear, saying that we should be wearing it because of the dust or contaminants," he said.
"I didn't say it to their face but I was thinking it's a bit late now, we've been here for two weeks working in it... and that was when it was flood water and then wet silt."
Destroyed items piled outside Peter Mitchell's house. Photo: RNZ / Niva Chittock
Mitchell did not know of anyone who had become sick but said there was a strong chemical stench across the area in the week immediately after the cyclone.
He also wondered what risk the silt would pose as it dried out and turned to dust.
Napier City Council environmental solutions manager Emily Frost said the properties were in the council's potential exposure area and were being tested accordingly.
There had been no reports of any symptoms that may be caused by ammonia exposure, such as dizziness or fainting, she said.
But there was at least one confirmed case of gastroenteritis among Awatoto residents.
"There is still biological contamination in the area, that's the biggest one. It can cause gastroenteritis if you're not washing your hands properly or say you got splashed in the face and unfortunately swallowed some silt," she said.
Te Whatu Ora would be in touch with residents to find out if they had experienced any potential symptoms of contamination exposure, Frost said.
Dr Emily Frost said there was still biological contamination in the area. Photo: RNZ / Niva Chittock
The testing was extensive and covered a long list of things like heavy metals, organic waste, and asbestos.
Twenty industrial companies were in the cordon, ranging from the council's damaged wastewater plant to a fertiliser factory and wool scour.
"We tested absolutely everything that you can test for. I literally wrote 'everything' on the form," Frost said.
The downside of being so thorough was the time it took to get results back, she said.
"We understand that [the residents] are frustrated and if I was in their position I would be as well," Frost said.
"We're trying to do our best to help them and try and get all the testing and the reassurance ready so they can go back in their homes and clean up.
"We expect [the complete results] to come back by the end of next week. Unfortunately, we can't push the lab any faster than they're moving already."
A destroyed household items along McLeod Road. Photo: RNZ / Niva Chittock
The residents wanted better communication from the council about the timeframes it had and what it would do with contaminated material.
Mitchell was concerned about his leased paddocks.
"We use it for commercial reasons, for cropping over the spring and summer and that could be for local market or export market," he said.
"And then we graze autumn and winter lamb on the place... so we're sort of in the dark now - if the land's contaminated then what do we do with it?"
Destroyed furniture piled up in McLeod Road. Photo: RNZ / Niva Chittock
Allison had not heard anything since a community meeting a week ago.
"We actually wonder if we will hear what the results are or how long it's going to take. Everything seems to be taking a long time," Allison said.
"We haven't seen the results but I talked to the scientist while she did the heavy metals testing I think it was. And she seemed to say it's not too bad around here but we still need to know what 'not too bad' actually is," he said.
"We know [the council] is busy, but it would be nice for everyone's peace of mind to know where we're all going."
Every property would receive an individual test report as well as the overall area results, Frost said.
Further community meetings were also likely.
Frost could not say when the contamination concerns would be resolved but confirmed there was a dedicated council team which would be working on the industrial area and surrounding residential areas until the risk was managed.
*This story was updated on 23 March to correct the name of the street to McLeod Road.
