Coast Care's Lorraine Adams said shortly after work began at the end of April she feared the work to install 30cm geotextile tube sand mattresses in front of the Oamaru Creek little blue penguin colony could be disturbing what once was a timber treatment site on Oamaru's foreshore.
She could not be reached for comment yesterday.
But in a statement from the council, environmental services manager Martin King said the council was ``very familiar with the history of the site''.
``We [ORC] and the Waitaki District Council carried out investigations and capping works there between 2010 and 2015 with funds from the Ministry for the Environment; 300mm of clean soil was placed over the reserve and it was during this process that we identified that coastal protection works would be needed to ensure the beach profile remained stable and the contaminated soils were contained.''
ORC staff had inspected the site earlier this month.
``Some short-term disturbance along the foreshore is necessary to complete the installation of the sand sausages to prevent more severe erosion in the long term. When ORC inspected the site this month [May], the amount of disturbance was minor and consistent with the site's management plan.''
He said the council would carry out a further inspection when the work was nearer completion.
The Otago Daily Times reported the $770,000 district council coastal erosion protection project was halted temporarily because the contractor had ``some difficulties with the sand delivery method'' while filling the geotextile sand-filled mattresses to be installed between Oamaru Creek and Holmes Wharf.
Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony research scientist Dr Philippa Agnew said penguins continued to use the nesting boxes at the site while work was under way.
