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August 27, 2024
Orange river shows mining’s long reach
Peter Verschaffelt
Posted On August 27, 2024
Download AudioA Hauraki kuia says she’s seen the Ohinemuri River turning orange before.
Waikato Regional Council has blamed discolouration of the river running through the Karangahake Gorgeon discharge from an old mine.
Win Brownlee from Ngāti Tamatera, who has a long history of opposition to mining, says the council hadn’t done enough to prevent such events.
“It’s supposed to be iron ore, that orange. It used to come down the Tui mine, the Tieri stream and now the Ohinemuri River. Environment Waikaoto knows it’s there because they’re supposed to monitor the river and anythng that comes out of the ground. They’ve let us down again,” she says.
The council says while the colour indicates the spill was iron-related, it could also include residual arsenic and heavy metals such as cadmium, chromium and antimony, as well as mercury.
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