Risks associated with contaminated land
Health risks depend on the type of contamination, and the amount of exposure a person has to it.
The presence of contaminants at a site does not necessarily mean the land is unsuitable for use. Measures can usually be taken to manage the land and significantly reduce the risk of exposure for users.
If you are planning to dig or disturb contaminated land, for testing or for any other reason, we recommend you seek advice from a contaminated land consultant. They can advise how to do this to ensure any potential health or environmental risks are appropriately managed.
Check if land is potentially contaminated
You can be certain that land is contaminated only by testing it.
However, there are several ways we can provide you with information about whether your site could be contaminated.
Hazardous Activities and Industries List (HAIL)
The Ministry for the Environment provides a
Hazardous Activities and Industries List to help identify sites where the soil may be contaminated.
The list states activities and industries which typically use or store hazardous substances that could cause contamination if these substances:
- escaped from safe storage
- were disposed of on the site
- were lost to the environment due to their use.
Historical aerial images
Aerial photos may indicate how a property has been used in the past.
You can access aerial imagery through
Auckland Council GeoMaps. For help, see
features of the GeoMaps toolbar.
You can also find historical aerial photos using the
Retrolens website.
Request information about previous land activities
If you identify a potentially contaminating activity on a property, you may want to order one or all of the reports available.
Reports on contaminated land
LIM reports or property files
Both the LIM report and property file contain information about what activities have previously taken place on a property.
For more information on LIM reports, see
What is a Land Information Memorandum (LIM)?
For more information on property files, see
What is a property file?
If you have a query about contamination information on a LIM report or property file you have received, email:
contaminatedsites@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
Site contamination enquiry report
The report contains council-held information on potentially contaminating activities undertaken on or close to the subject site.
This includes any known or potential:
- Hazardous Activities and Industries List (HAIL) activities that have occurred at the site
- consents and incidents information, including:
- pollution incidents, including air discharges, oil or diesel spills
- bores for groundwater use or monitoring
- contaminated site, air discharge or industrial trade process consents
- closed landfills
- permitted activities (land disturbance notifications).
Unless otherwise requested we provide consents and incidents information for locations up to 200m from the site location.
