New air quality rules looming | Wairarapa News | Local News in Wairarapa

Tough new air quality rules are on their way.

The new rules will be introduced in stages with the first restrictions banning lighting fires at landfills, the burning of tyres, bitumen on roads, coated wire and oil in the open.

There will also be new regulations relating to wood burners and the control of gas emissions from landfills

The second part of the national environment standard will come into effect from September 1.

Regional councils will be responsible for monitoring the air quality.

From October 1 2006 there will also be new requirements for incinerators at schools and healthcare institutions.

The new rules have been developed by the Ministry for the Environment under the resource management act.

The new rules will mean councils must try and limit the amount of particulate matter in the air to 50 microns peer cubic metre over 24 hours. The current standard is 120 micron.

The monitoring equipment for the Wairarapa is located at Wairarapa College.

Each regional council will be monitored on the number of occasions the standard is exceeded until 2013 from when they will be allowed to exceed the standard just once a year.