Few Frankton residents have arranged for their gardens to be tested for arsenic, and most seem more concerned about their property’s value, the suburb’s community association chairman says.
Glyn Lewers said he had not heard of anyone getting results back yet, and thought most residents were more concerned about their council property records than a risk of arsenic poisoning.
"A lot of people were upset it goes on our [land information memorandums]."
A month has passed since the Queenstown Lakes District Council announced high levels of arsenic had been found in road verges across several Frankton blocks.
Subsequent testing of 50 road verge sites found levels nearly four times the national standard for residential land in some cases.
The council is legally required to put information about elevated arsenic levels on the land information memorandum (LIM) reports of nearby properties.
Mr Lewers said the issue had "died down" since a public meeting on August 11.
Residents he had talked to were more concerned about other matters affecting the suburb, such as public transport.
He was not concerned about his own property, as he had brought in topsoil for his garden a decade ago.
The council was alerted to the issue by Remarkables Park Ltd (RPL), the developer of an early 1990s residential subdivision where the high levels were found.
RPL discovered the anomaly while carrying out routine testing on neighbouring land earlier this year.
Its development manager, Brian Fitzpatrick, said as far as he knew, "very few" residents had arranged for soil testing on their sections.
So far, one resident had contacted him to request clean topsoil after a test on one part of their garden showed an elevated arsenic level.
RPL’s offer to receive and dispose of contaminated soil from residents was conditional on it receiving consents from the council and the Otago Regional Council, Mr Fitzpatrick said.
Those consents had been lodged and he was waiting for them to be processed.
