Diesel spill clean-up begins

A tanker brings water from outside the town supply to Raetihi residents yesterday. Photo / John Chapman

Work to flush a stream contaminated by a large diesel spill at Tongariro National Park has begun.

Since Wednesday, 15,000 litres of diesel have leaked from a tank at the Turoa Ski Field into the Makotuku stream - the primary tributary for Raetihi's water supply, which has been shut off for at least 10 days.

The Ruapehu District Council today said it had started a controlled flush of the stream's upper catchment, which would release any diesel trapped in the soil, or in pools and eddies along the stream.

Council incident controller Margaret Hawthorne said the volume of water being used to flush the stream was not large, and there would not be a significant rise in the river level.

Horizons Regional Council has laid booms across the stream to capture diesel released by the upper catchment flushing process.

Mrs Hawthorne said the flushing process would take some time, as would the flushing of Raetihi's reticulated water supply system.

"Flushing out of the two settlement ponds should be completed today, however we then need to move on to flushing out the reservoir and reticulated network,'' she said.

"It is likely to take some time for all the trapped diesel to work its way out of the catchment.''

Farmers who normally take water from the Makotuku stream are advised to use alternative sources for the foreseeable future.

Raetihi residents can collect fresh water from a tanker at the Four Square on Seddon St.