A REGULATORY APPROACH  - 
A regulatory approach to sulphur dioxide exceedances in a mixed use industrial area

Within the industrial area of Mount Maunganui there is a mix of light, medium and heavy industry in close proximity to recreational facilities, residential dwellings, a marae with papakainga housing and a kohanga reo childhood learning centre.
 

Following an unauthorised discharge of sulphur dioxide from an industrial site the Regional Council extended its air quality monitoring network. This information was intended to build on the Councils existing knowledge of sulphur dioxide levels and to provide a larger dataset to assist with the ongoing management of sulphur dioxide discharge consents.
 

The monitoring began to show a number of exceedances of the ambient sulphur dioxide limits set under the National Environmental Standards.
 

The presentation will outline the challenges in attributing national environmental standard breaches to an activity in an area with a variety of sources of sulphur dioxide. The enforcement option selected by the Council will be discussed along with the industry response and the subsequent reduction in sulphur dioxide emissions.
 

What evolved was an increased awareness that more air quality monitoring in the Industrial area and a range of other management tools would be required to improve air quality in Mount Maunganui.