The old Hampden landfill, which is leaking rubbish to the coast because of erosion, could be shored up if the Waitaki District Council can get resource consent from the Otago Regional Council.
The exposure of the old landfill and its rubbish has been a cause of consternation for both Hampden residents and the council.
Solid waste officer Gerry O'Neill said yesterday the council was continuing to take steps to address the problems at the Hampden landfill, where rubbish had become exposed at the beach as a result of erosion that has worsened with recent high seas.
The closed landfill, located on Department of Conservation land at the beach end of Stafford St, is managed by the council. It was created at the site more than 70 years ago and has been closed for more than 10 years.
The council needs a new resource consent for the site from the regional council.
If granted, the new consent will allow for the use of rocks as additional support to a clay bund, which will be placed at the toe of the landfill to protect it from further erosion.
"This type of bund was recommended in a recent coastal engineer's report," Mr O'Neill said.
The new consent is being considered as a high priority by the regional council.
The current resource consent only allows for the placement of a clay bund, without rocks, which would offer minimal protection from the sea and would cost about $100,000.
The coastal engineer's report indicated that this type of bund would not have survived the recent high seas.
Other options had been suggested and considered for dealing with the problem, including removal of the waste to another location. Mr O'Neill, said that, at this stage, these were not affordable.
"We have considered the possibility of removing the waste from the site. However, the cost of doing so would be extremely high.
"In addition, the Waitaki district has no sites available which can accept this material, as both Oamaru and Palmerston landfills are already close to capacity," he said.
Mr O'Neill wanted to assure local residents and the com-munity that the council continually monitored the site as part of its consent conditions. Monitoring results confirmed the leachate emitted from the site as a result of the erosion did not pose a public health risk.
The council has also closed a walkway at Hampden because of coastal erosion.
