A chemical cleaning company has been convicted and fined $39,000 for a toxic discharge that resulted in a significant fish kill at Paeroa last year.
The case, against Chemwash Hamilton Limited, involved the discharge of toxic chemicals through the town's stormwater system to a local stream resulting in a large number of eels and native banded kokopu fish dying.
The prosecution, brought by Waikato Regional Council, concerned events that occurred in early February 2016.
Paeroa residents noticed a large number of distressed and dead eels and fish in a tributary that flows to the Ohinemuri River and notified the council, a spokesman said.
![A culvert in Paeroa discharging toxic chemicals into a small waterway. Photo / Supplied.](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/IQDQLIHIUFMJ3KLKDVDLTWORYA.jpg?auth=1ea2a1b39db4a23f0d79f5675992daa6bb2e7003a30ebb351f405667915eb0f3&width=16&height=12&quality=70&smart=true)