A Gore man has been fined $130,000 after a discharge of effluent into a Southland waterway killed thousands of eels last year.
Bryson Clark pleaded guilty to discharging leachate from farm tailings, leachate from sileage, and dairy effluent onto land in circumstances where it could enter water.
Environment Southland compliance manager Donna Ferguson said the impact of the event was among the most serious the team had investigated.
“The deaths of thousands of eels had been devastating, with more than 2500 bodies collected in a 10km clean-up zone.”
Staff were supported throughout the clean-up by Ngāi Tahu ki Murihiku.
The investigation was sparked by a call from a member of the public which allowed staff to pinpoint the source and successfully prosecute the culprit, Ferguson said.
“This case highlights the importance of the public as our eyes and ears. If anything looks unusual, please let us know so we can check it out as soon as possible.”
The Low Burn Stream was severely impacted because of the discharge. and it could take “up to 10 years” for biological communities to repopulate the stream and recover, she added.