Fixing an old dump site near Kaka Point is a step closer, with tenders called for coastal protection work.
Clutha District Council district assets manager Jules Witt said that since the old dump site, about 1.7km north of Kaka Point, closed in the 1980s, it had been uncovered by coastal erosion.
''This has now resulted in old farm implements and metal being unearthed and deposited on the foreshore, causing an unsightly nuisance, while tests have also shown elevated levels of contaminants in the soil,'' he said.
While the site was not operated by the council or its predecessors, the majority of it is on council road reserve, and the council has reluctantly assumed responsibility for resolving the site's issues.
Mr Witt said the council had resource consent from the Otago Regional Council for the tendered work, which includes excavation, removal of waste from the most vulnerable area, and protection of the site by ''rock armouring'' about 170m of foreshore.
Through last year's long-term plan process, the council set a budget of $330,000 for this work. This will be rated through the uniform annual general charge at a cost of about $3 per property for the next 25 years.
Mr Witt said tenders for the contract close on April 8 and it was expected the work would be completed within the next three months, depending on weather and sea conditions.
