Preliminary Site Investigation (PSI)
What is a PSI and when it may be required?
1. Contaminated land – is this relevant for my proposed activity?
If you are planning on undertaking one of the following five activities: subdivision, land-use change, soil disturbance, soil sampling, or removing fuel storage systems an assessment needs to be undertaken to determine whether an activity listed on the Hazardous Activities and Industries List (HAIL) is being undertaken, has been undertaken or is more likely than not to have been undertaken.
The HAIL, published by the Ministry for the Environment, is a compilation of activities and industries that are considered likely to cause land contamination resulting from hazardous substance use, storage or disposal. The HAIL is intended to identify most situations in New Zealand where hazardous substances could cause land contamination.
If the answer is yes, you will need to comply with the National Environmental Standards for Assessing and Managing Contaminants in Soil to Protect Human Health (NES CS) to ensure that the proposed activity will not cause risk to human health given the historic or current use of the land. The NES CS controls activities by requiring a resource consent.
2. How do I know if any HAIL activities are or have been carried out on my site?
A Preliminary Site Investigation (PSI) Report can establish if your site:
Is ‘more likely than not’ a HAIL site (either in the past or currently).
It is highly unlikely that there will be a risk to human health if the HAIL activity has been carried out.
A PSI includes a desk top review of current and historical property related documentation, a review of the environmental setting and a site walkover.
If you would like an assessment to be carried out to understand the requirements for your land development activity we can provide you with all of the necessary information. Give us a call to find out more