Report an environmental incident

Types of pollution we investigate

• Water pollution (discharges to streams, rivers, lakes, aquifers and the coastal marine area)
• Land pollution (dumping and spillage of materials that contaminate land)
• Air pollution (dust, smells/odours, smoke from outdoor fires where hazardous materials (including plastic, treated timber and metal) are being burnt)
• Taking water (groundwater, surface water and draining wetlands)
• River works (channel/river mouth cutting, vegetation removal, diversions, excavations, gravel extractions, deposition and disturbance)
• Earthworks (large scale vegetation clearance, earth moving, tracking, cut and fill etc)
• Buildings and structures in rivers/stream and the coastal marine area (construction, demolition, maintenance etc)
• Noise originating from the coastal marine area (from boats and ships etc)
• Animals in rivers, streams and the coastal marine area (discharges, disturbance, carcasses etc)
• Hazardous substances (discharges into water or land)

How we respond

Incidents are triaged and prioritised – we aim to respond to priority incidents within one hour; a Duty Officer will always call you back if you leave your details with the contact centre.

If we attend the site, we will investigate the incident and if a resource consent is breached, or an environmental incident is found, we can take enforcement action.

Enforcement

Under the Resource Management Act 1991 (the Act), Greater Wellington Regional Council has a regulatory responsibility to monitor, gather information, and keep records. 

Read more about our enforcement process.

Who we work with

Greater Wellington works with other councils, emergency services and health providers to plan for and deliver environmental management in the region. Each authority covers different areas and different types of pollution. More...