15. Resource Quality (Water, Air, Soil) Volume One [RPS, R] Policy 15.5.2 – Record known contaminated sites and other sites that may be contaminated due to past land use management practices, and make this information available to the public. Soil contamination creates a risk to human health and can therefore constrain development options on land and properties. It is important that current or potential owners are made aware of any known or potential soil contamination. To assist this process, the Council maintains a “Listed Land Use Register” (the Register), which records known or potentially contaminated sites. Such awareness by the Council does not extend to all historic land use activities and management practices due to the passage of time and incomplete records. Other potentially contaminated sites will be added to the Register as the Council becomes aware of them. The Ministry for the Environment’s Hazardous Activities and Industries List (HAIL) is used as the basis for determining the potential for a piece of land to be contaminated by past land use activities and/or management practices. The information on the Register is made available to the public so that individuals can make informed decisions about the ongoing use of the land or any proposed new use of the land. The Register can also be used as a basis for applying Clause 6(2) of the NESCS. Any site included on the Register can be considered a “piece of land” for the purpose of the NESCS. [RPS, R] Policy 15.5.3 – Screen all sites on the Listed Land Use Register for the risk they pose to human health and/or the surrounding environment. A majority of the sites on the Register are identified as potentially contaminated and are included on the basis of HAIL. However, the risk of human health effects or adverse effects on the environment is unclear. For this reason, the Council will progressively screen those sites on the Register to determine the likely risk that the contaminants pose to human health and/or the surrounding environment. The degree of risk and the reasons will be recorded on the Register. [RPS, R] Policy 15.5.4 – Investigate sites assessed through Policy 15.5.3 as being of high risk to community health and/or the surrounding environment and, depending on the outcome of those investigations, consider the need for site management. Although the NESCS manages the human health effects of contaminated sites in the event of changes in land use, the current policy also recognises that the Council can assist in managing sites that create a high risk to human health or the environment in other circumstances. The Council will progressively investigate sites on the Listed Land Use Register screened as high risk to substantiate (to the extent that it can) the nature and degree of contamination and the potential for adverse effects. The information collected will be shared with landowners and resource users so that there is a clear understanding of the risks to human health and the surrounding environment. In circumstances where the NESCS does not apply, the Council will take a lead role in co- ordinating any site management, including landowner liaison. This role is important given the potential costs associated with management for landowners and given that the contamination is often a legacy of historic activities undertaken by previous landowners. Management will be specific to the site and will be determined by the following factors: (a) the type of contaminants; (b) the degree of contamination; (c) the availability and practicality of appropriate technology for management, including recognition of technical and financial constraints; (d) existing and likely future uses of the site; 15 – 44