Volume One 15. Resource Quality (Water, Air, Soil) Due to the risk they pose to the environment, hazardous substances are usually carefully stored, transported and used in a manner consistent with manufacturer directions. However, there is a risk that inappropriate use, storage, transportation or disposal of hazardous substances can result in them being released into the surrounding environment. That environment is usually (at least initially) the surrounding soils. In a limited number of instances, soil contamination has already occurred due to the historic use or disposal of hazardous substances. Examples include old sheep dip sites, sites at which fuel has been stored in underground tanks, areas where persistent pesticides have been used intensively (e.g. orchards) and the uncontrolled disposal of coal ash from boilers. Contaminated sites create a significant risk to the environment and community health. Soil contamination can severely limit the ability to safely use a piece of land and therefore it is important to manage the risk of adverse effects on the soil resource arising from past inappropriate use, storage, transportation and disposal of hazardous substances. The National Environmental Standard for Assessing and Managing Contaminants in Soil to Protect Human Health 2011 (NESCS) provides a comprehensive response to managing the risk to human health through the use and development of contaminated sites. The following provisions are designed to complement the NESCS and focus on the provision of information to allow the NESCS to operate efficiently and effectively. [RPS, R] Objective 15.5 – Existing and foreseeable uses of the soil resource are not reduced as a result of soil contaminatio. n Direct or indirect exposure (e.g. through the consumption of crops and grazing animals) to a hazardous substance that has contaminated the soil has the potential to cause adverse health effects. Soil contamination can therefore restrict the use of soils for productive and residential purposes both now and into the future. This objective recognises the significant constraint to resource use that soil contamination creates and seeks to retain the potential for current and future generations to use the land. [RPS, R] Policy 15.5.1 – Primarily rely on regulations promulgated under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996 to ensure hazardous substances are used, stored and transported in an appropri ate manner. The Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996 (HSNO) states the minimum controls for the use, storage, transportation and disposal of all hazardous substances throughout New Zealand. Although the Council is able to impose additional and/or more stringent requirements, it is satisfied that the requirements imposed by HSNO regulations are sufficient to minimise the potential for inadvertent release of hazardous substances into the environment. Exceptions to this policy include: (a) the use and storage of hazardous substances in groundwater protection areas and on river beds, due to the vulnerability of the aquifers and rivers to contamination; and (b) the discharge of hazardous waste to land or water. In these circumstances, the Council will use its powers under the RMA to impose controls more stringent than the HSNO regulations. 15 – 43