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Contaminated Land
Contaminated Land - Are you undertaking these activities?
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Contaminated Land - Selling a property
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Contaminated Land - Sheep Dip
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Contaminated Land - Valuing a property
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Contaminated Land - What you need to know when buying a property
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Contaminated Land - What you need to know when conveyancing a property
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The Sites Associated with Hazardous Substances (SAHS) Register
The Sites Associated with Hazardous Substances (SAHS) Register
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What is the SAHS register?
The Sites Associated with Hazardous Substances register is an electronic database Environment Southland uses to
manage information about properties in the Southland region that have been used for activities involving hazardous
substances. It has been designed to allow us to record information in a standardised format, which helps us to
obtain all the information we need and to prioritise properties requiring attention. It also allows us to securely
manage the information we release about properties.
Why is it needed?
Information about the use of hazardous substances needs to be recorded because of the contamination that can
occur if these substances are released into the environment. We consider that site owners need to be aware that
certain activities and industries have the potential to cause contamination, which may affect the way their
property can be used.
The register is used to manage risk. Placing sites on the register acts as a prompt for property owners to manage
the risks associated with certain activities and industries, and also alerts potential purchasers to any risks of
contamination at these sites. It also helps us manage issues such as ground water quality by making sure that, for
example, drinking water wells are not too close to affected sites.
How does Environment Southland identify these sites?
Certain activities or industry types involve the use, storage or disposal of hazardous substances. The Ministry for
the Environment has produced a comprehensive list of these activities and industries, called the Hazardous
Activities and Industries List (HAIL).
Environment Southland has collected information over the years, which has identified many sites on which any of
these activities or industries are located, or have taken place in the past. Now we are collating this information
into the electronic database and identifying further sites which have not previously been recorded. To do this, we
gather information from:
- Site owners;
- Our records and those held by the Southland and Gore District councils and Invercargill City Council);
- Any material we hold relating to resource consents issued by us;
- The Telecom Yellow Pages and other trade directories;
- The New Zealand Property Valuations Database.
What information does Environment Southland collect about these sites?
We find out and record:
- Location details (legal description, site name, street address and map references);
- The types of activity or industry undertaken, including their duration. Some sites may have experienced more than one type of activity over time;
- Any results of site investigations and other details relating to the presence or absence of contamination;
- Contact details for the site owner and occupier of the site.
We also record information about the site’s physical characteristics, such as topography and geology, plus details
about the contaminants associated with certain land uses. This information will be used to screen sites for
potential risk to human health and the environment.
To ensure the information we collect is as accurate as possible, we send the site owner a summary of the
information we hold. We then ask them to check the information before we register the site. Until this process is
complete, the status of the site is termed "Unverified", which means that the history of hazardous activity(ies)
or industry(ies) that are and / or have occurred at the site has not been confirmed. If we have already confirmed
that the site is contaminated we will still inform the site owner to ensure that our information is correct.
How are sites classified?
Once information about a site has been verified by Environment Southland and the site owner, it is assigned a
category on the SAHS Register.
If analytical information from the collection of samples is not available, and the presence or absence of
contamination has therefore not been determined, the site is registered as:
Verified but Not Investigated:
A site whose past or present use has been reported and verified as one that appears on the Hazardous Activities
and Industries List (HAIL): and:
The site has not been subjected to investigation including, but not limited to, sampling and analysis of site
related soil, water and / or ambient air, and assessment of the associated analytical data.
This category is for sites for which it is known that an activity or use as defined in the HAIL has taken place
on the site, but there is insufficient information to characterise any risks to human health or the environment
from those activities undertaken on the site. Contamination may have occurred, but should not be assumed to have
occurred.
Or, if analytical information from the collection of samples is available:
Contaminated (for <land use>):
The site has been investigated. Results demonstrated it is land of one of the following kinds:
- If there is an applicable national environmental standard on contaminants in soil, the land is more contaminated than the standard allows; or
- If there is no applicable national environmental standard on contaminants in soil, the land has a hazardous substance in or on it that -
- Has significant adverse effects on the environment; or
- Is reasonably likely to have significant adverse effects on the environment
(s2 RMA1991)
Significant Adverse Environmental Effects
The site has been investigated. Results demonstrated that sediment, groundwater or
surface water contain hazardous substances that -
- Have significant adverse effects on the environment; or
- Are reasonably likely to have significant adverse effects on the environment.
Partially Investigated
The site has been partially investigated. Investigations have been conducted that -
- Demonstrate that there are hazardous substances present at the site; however, there is insufficient information to quantify any adverse effects or risks to people or the environment; or
- Do not adequately verify the presence or absence of contamination associated with all HAIL activities that are and / or have been undertaken on the site.
Below Guideline Values for <land use>:
The site has been investigated. The investigation sample results demonstrate that there are hazardous
substances present at the site, but indicate that any adverse effects or risks to people and / or the
environment are considered to be so low as to be acceptable. The site may have been remediated to reduce
contamination to this level, and post-remediation validation samples confirm this.
Managed for <land use>:
The site has been investigated. Investigations demonstrate that there are hazardous substances present at the
site in concentrations that have the potential to cause adverse effects or risks to people and / or the
environment. However, those risks are considered managed because -
- The nature of the use of the site prevents human and / or ecological exposure to the risks; and / or
- The land has been altered in some way and / or restrictions have been placed on the way it is used which prevent human and / or ecological exposure to the risks.
At or Below Background Concentrations
The site has been investigated or remediated. The investigation or post-remediation validation results confirm
that there are no hazardous substances above local background concentrations. Local background concentrations
are those that occur naturally in the area. The investigation or validation sampling has been sufficiently
detailed, in terms of locations sampled and analytes tested, to characterise the site.
It is important that site owners provide Environment Southland with any new information they have on investigative
work done at their site. This will ensure that we hold accurate, up to date information.
How comprehensive is the SAHS register?
The register currently contains information on a small number of sites in the Southland region. However, not all
sites that have activities listed on the Hazardous Activities and Industries List (HAIL) have been registered yet.
So, if a site is not listed on the register, it does not mean that an activity or industry on the List is not
occurring, or has not occurred in the past, on that site. We recommend that you check this out for yourself, as
well as asking us. You can do this by asking your local council, current and previous owners, neighbours etc.
How will information about sites on the SAHS register be used?
1. Enquiries about specific sites
We receive many requests for information about the potential for contamination associated with specific pieces of
land. Someone may be buying a property, or a district or city council may request information from us about a site
when processing a consent application. The information on the register is used to ensure that responses to such
enquiries are dealt with effectively and accurately.
Anyone can make an enquiry about a specific site by contacting Environment Southland.
2. Prioritising all sites for future investigation using a risk screening system
We will be using the information on the SAHS register to prioritise sites for further investigation. This
prioritisation will be based on a risk screening system, which will be used to calculate the theoretical risk
to human health and the environment if the site proved to be contaminated.
3. Managing contamination at sites in the region
Environment Southland may investigate a site, or ask for an investigation to be done, if it is regarded as high
risk on the basis of results from the risk screening, if there is an incident involving a hazardous substance
release, or if we receive information suggesting there are adverse effects on the environment occurring beneath or
beyond a property.
Also, when a site is redeveloped or a new activity commences, we will use information on the register to ensure
that any risks associated with contamination are managed throughout the redevelopment process, and
post-development.
Contact us:
Contact our Pollution Prevention Team by email (service@es.govt.nz), or phone 03 211 5115 or
toll free on 0800 768 845.
We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Environment Canterbury, Auckland Regional Council and Environment
Waikato in preparing this SAHS Register information.