Industrial and Commercial Air Pollution

Where Do We Monitor Industrial Air Pollution?

Environment Canterbury has an industrial monitoring station in Woolston, Christchurch. The aim of this monitoring station is to understand the contribution of industry to air pollution over the city as a whole, not to monitor individual industries.

Air Pollution Monitoring Equipment

Monitoring data indicate that all but the PM10 concentrations are well below the NES. The PM10 standard is breached at the industrial monitoring station but the concentrations are much lower than at the domestic emissions monitoring station in St Albans. It is estimated that in Christchurch 10% of PM10 pollution is caused by industry. In other towns around Canterbury this percentage is much lower.

You can find the full data on emissions in the annual air quality monitoring reports. 

Estimates of the amount of pollution discharged into the air from industry can be found in the emissions inventory reports. 

Rules for Industrial Emissions

Discharges to air from industrial or trade premises are not allowed unless the Transitional Regional Plan (TRP), the Air Plan (Proposed Canterbury Natural Resources Regional Plan, Chapter 3: Air Quality) or a resource consent permits it.

Industrial Fuel Burning Equipment

Many schools, hospitals, glass houses, manufacturing industries etc. use boilers and other heating plant to provide energy. These kind of combustion processes can be a source of suspended particulate (PM10), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulphur dioxide (SO2), hazardous air pollutants and other contaminants. They can also be a nuisance when excess smoke and/or odour are discharged.  These nuisance effects usually happen during boiler start-up, when fuel is added or when the load on the appliance is changed and can be minimised by proper maintenance and operation.

Rules for Industrial Fuel Burning Equipment:

Christchurch:

No resource consent necessary:

• fuel burning equipment with a heat output of 40kW or less

Resource consent necessary:

• fuel burning equipment with a heat output of more than 40kW

Outside Christchurch:

No resource consent necessary:

• fuel burning equipment with a heat output of less than 5MW

Once the Air Plan (Chapter 3 of the NRRP) becomes operative, which may be during 2007, these rules may change.

Other industrial processes

Many other commercial and industrial activities in Canterbury produce discharges to air. If they have minimal effects on the environment or these effects can be made acceptable by following certain procedures or methods they may not need a resource consent. Some activities may only need a resource consent when undertaken in Christchurch.

Both the TRP and the Air Plan (Chapter 3 of the NRRP) apply. The TRP lists all activities for which you will need a consent. The NRRP lists all commercial activities that can be undertaken without a resource consent. However many of these activities can only be undertaken without a resource consent if they are meeting certain rules or conditions. If these rules or conditions are not met, you will still need a resource consent. If an activity is not on either list, you will need a resource consent.

Pollution hotline

If you would like to report any pollution please call the pollution hotline on 03 366 4663 (Christchurch), 03 688 3320 (Timaru) or 0800 765588. The pollution hotline operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.