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Contaminated Sites Remediation Fund

Can the Ministry assist with the investigation and remediation of contaminated sites?

The Contaminated Sites Remediation Fund (CSRF) is administered by the Ministry for the Environment to assist regional councils to investigate, plan and remediate contaminated sites in their regions.

A total of $1.78 million has been made available for 2009/10 and is divided into two parts. One part is available to regional councils and unitary authorities on a contestable basis ($0.89 million).  The second part is available to regional councils and unitary authorities to address priority sites ($0.89 million).

Contaminated sites that are prime candidates for the Contaminated Sites Remediation Fund are those that are:

  • posing or likely to pose a high risk to human health
  • located in environmentally or culturally sensitive areas; or
  • sites where the landowners do not have the financial resources to undertake the work themselves but want to do something about the problem.

If you wish to investigate and/or remediate a contaminated site it is recommend that you contact your local Regional Council in the first instance. The Regional Council will assist you with your application, inform you of the information required and submit an application to the Ministry.

Eligibility for funding

The following principal criteria will be used by the assessment panel to determine a site’s eligibility for funding:

  • Partnerships – demonstrated partnership between the regional council and other interested parties.
  • Risk –the site poses or – following preliminary site inspection – potentially poses significant risk to human health and/or the environment.
  • Status – the site was undertaking activities likely to result in site contamination:
    • Prior to the enactment of the RMA in 1991; or
    • After to the enactment of the RMA in 1991, but, no enforcement can be undertaken by Regional Councils or Territorial Authorities to require investigation or remediation of the contamination; and
    • activities causing the contamination have since ceased.
  • Capability – demonstrated capability to undertake the project including the practicality and feasibility of actions.
  • Funding – contributions from other parties reflects their ability to contribute to the project.
  • Responsibility – The actions of the current landowner or occupier did not result in the contamination of the site. 

Funding Criteria

Funding can only be provided for the years in which the site assessments, remediation planning and site remediation are undertaken.  Funding will not be provided retrospectively, so it cannot continue following the project’s completion, nor can it be applied to phases of the project that were completed prior to the application to the fund.

The proportions of funding contributed by other parties (site owners/occupiers, polluters and local authorities) to site assessment, remediation planning and actual remediation of a site will be assessed by the assessment panel on a case-by-case basis.   

The contributions by each of the parties to each of the stages should reflect that party’s ability to pay and the overall cost of the project.  If the application is approved, the Ministry will provide a proportion of the costs for Stages 2-4 of the site assessment and remediation.  The percentage contributions from the Fund will generally reflect the importance of the project and varies depending on the stage.

A guide to the percentage contributions from CSRF and the funding phase for each of the stages of the project are as shown in the table below.

Stage

Contribution from CSRF (%)

Funding Phase

1 - Preliminary Site Investigation

0

0

2 - Detailed Site Investigation

20-40

1

3 - Remediation Planning

40-60

2

4 - Site Remediation

Up to 60%

3

The Ministry does not provide funding for Stage 1 – Preliminary Site Investigation (PSI) (e.g., initial desktop risk assessment).  It is anticipated that the councils will have carried out the Preliminary Site Investigations as part of their role in managing contaminated land.  The preliminary assessment and the risk screening would usually have been undertaken when determining the potential contaminative status of the site.

The Detailed Site Investigation – Stage 2 – is the first stage for which CSRF funding is available.  The Ministry generally contributes 20 to 40 per cent of the costs for the detailed site investigation.  Although the investigation may be a significant cost, it is expected to be a lesser cost than the remediation stages.  Therefore, landowners and/or councils should be able to contribute a larger percentage of the costs for this stage.

The Remedial Planning – Stage 3 – is expected to require significant input from consultants with experience in site remediation techniques and methodologies.  For Remedial Planning, the Ministry generally contributes 40 to 60 per cent of the required funding to assist with the remediation of contaminated sites.

The Site Remediation – Stage 4 – is most likely going to be the most expensive stage.  The funding for the site remediation stage  is reviewed on a case-by-case basis.  The amount the Ministry will contribute to the remediation will be dependant on the other party’s ability to pay and the risk posed by the contamination present on the site.  However, as a guide the Ministry generally contributes up to 60 per cent of the costs for the remediation of contaminated sites.  

The Fund will not pay for the following:

  • capital expenditure items;
  • costs incurred before the application being made; and
  • investigations or remediation works on contaminated land or identified sites of concern on Crown land where the Crown has accepted responsibility for the contamination.

If you would like more information about the Contaminated Sites Remediation Fund please contact funds@mfe.govt.nz.

Last updated: 23 October 2009