Wax pollutes Avon

Press, 28 July 1976, Page 1

Wax pollutes Avon

; Gallons of wax emulsion ' poured into the River Avon, i yesterday turning a large ! stretch of it milky. As a i result the Christchurch I Drainage Board has coni suited its solicitors and a : prosecution mav be immin- ■ ent. The pollutant was traced, i by a reporter and photo- ! grapher of “The Press,” to | a drain in Mandeville ! Street, Riccarton. The wax I was pouring from the drain | into an open stream which I joins the Avon in Haglev ’ Park. i The Drainage Board’s ! assistant engineer (Mr P. ■ J. Hunt) said yesterday that i a sample of the water had I been tested and the subi stance was found to be “in ,j general terms a wax emulI sion.’’ A plant manager of one of the divisions of the Fletcher group of companies (Mr R. Collings) declined to comment yesterday when asked about the wax. He said he had made a report to the Drainage ■Board, and that was where “The Press” should get its information. Workmen were using a front-end 'loader to push sawdust over long streaks

of a white liquid on the ground. The wax was noticed in the river in front of the boatshed in Cambridge Terrace shortly after midday. A member of the public concerned for the safety of the ducks which she thought “looked sick” rang “The Press” to complain. The water in that area had turned completely white and the discolouration extended up the Avon river into Hagley Park for some distance. It was moving slowly down stream. The owner of the boatshed (Mr W. S. Dinij said that in the 30 years he had worked beside the river he had never seen it that colour before. He said that the day before the water had been crystal, clear. Mr Hunt said he had never seen anything like it. Other environmental groups in Christchurch are concerned by the discharge. Both the North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society and the Environment Centre are having samples of the water analysed.