Annual report 2006-2007 - Taranaki Regional Council

16
plant staff were made aware of this issue. The water abstraction was inspected, with
compliance with consent noted. The paddocks that receive blood from the abattoir
were tidy. The worm farm area was also looking tidy, although some blood was
noted with the paunch that was spread there. Mr Watty explained that when pigs
were being processed, more blood than usual was collected with the paunch, and
this would all be disposed of at the worm farm. Frank was aware of the odour
potential, and was monitoring the area to ensure any significant odour was
minimised.
The following compliance monitoring inspection was undertaken with Consents
Manager Colin McLellan. Terry Lester, owner of the site, was met on site, and the
processing of the consent application for the wastewater discharge was discussed.
During the site inspection, some spilt blood was found on the ground near the blood
tank. It was requested that this was tidied up to prevent the generation of odours.
There was little material awaiting rendering, and the tallow tank area looked good,
with no tallow noted in the bunded area. The stormwater drain alongside the access
track closest to the bridge had some standing water, and a slick on it, suggesting
some product may have been washed down here. Staff were reminded that only
clean water was to enter this drainage system. The fat traps near the biofilter looked
well maintained, although there was an issue of fat getting into the bunded area and
entering the stormwater drain. Again, staff were reminded that this needed to be
avoided, and may be from the baskets from the fat traps being put into the bunded
area. Only minor odours were noted at the site. Inspection of the worm farm area
noted quite some blood. The Company was advised that this would need to be
monitored, as the blood had the potential to create odours. The ponds looked good,
with little noticeable odour. There was a stiff southerly breeze at the time of
inspection. Mr Lester mentioned that the ponds had recently been stirred, and it was
understood that some of the second pond was sprayed to land. A sample was taken
from the outfall, with extensive growths of sewage fungus noted at the discharge
point. The dissolved oxygen in the pond was recorded as 0.3mg/litre. This is low,
and suggested that the ponds were overloaded. An inspection of the tributary at the
State Highway 3 bridge noted sewage fungus and discolouration. The dam from
where water is abstracted was very low, with very little inflow. There was no flow
past the dam. Mr Lester mentioned that he hoped to arrange for water to be
abstracted from the tributary that the wastewater discharge presently enters. Overall
the site was generally tidy, with little potential for odour noted. The stormwater
catchment was generally clean.
The fourth monitoring inspection was undertaken on 17 May 2007. The paunch
collection area and blood tanks were tidy, with no spills evident. The product
awaiting rendering was inspected, and not all bins were securely covered, with some
lids half on. A cook was just starting to be loaded during inspection. The tallow tank
bund was empty but nearby some meal had been spilt onto the tarseal. Staff were
asked to ensure that this meal was swept up, and not washed down to the
stormwater drain. Both roller doors at the rendering area were half open. Inspection
of the ponds found the first pond to still be capped with fat. The second pond was
green, indicating the presence of algae. A sample of the discharge was taken. The
dissolved oxygen in the pond was at 30% saturation. Some odour was noted
emanating from the ponds. With regard to odour the site appeared to be well
managed. With regard to stormwater, only the spilt meal near the tallow tank, and
the fat in the stormwater drain near the biofilter required attention.