Work is under way to remove arsenic-contaminated soil from one part of the Northlake residential subdivision in Wanaka and bury it in another part. Photo by Mark Price.
The soil is from the site at the corner of Aubrey and Outlet Rds, once occupied by the Iron Hill timber treatment plant.
Developer Michaela Meehan was given consent by the Queenstown Lakes District and Otago Regional Councils earlier this year to remove up to 6000cum of contaminated soil and deposit it in a 7m-deep ''encapsulation cell'' nearby.
A consultants' report said the soil contained carbendazim, copper, chromium, boron and arsenic. All contaminants except arsenic were within national environmental limits.
The soil is required to be covered with high-density polyethylene liner and 1.2m of soil. The developer also has consent for earthworks to ''re-contour and regularise the shape of the land'' for the new subdivision.
