Bluecliff residents are being asked to evacuate before Friday afternoon as work begins to clear a nearby dump that may have explosives, Emergency Management Southland has said.
Emergency Management Southland controller Lucy Hicks said in a release a 1km radius of the tip will be set up to ensure safety for the nearby locals.
"There are potentially explosives, asbestos and other hazardous material there, and our focus is on ensuring the safety of the residents and those working in the area," Hicks said.
Residents are being asked to evacuate their homes before 4pm on Friday.
Accommodation in nearby Tuatapere, 10km away, has been organised for fulltime residents. From March 11, permanent residents will be allowed to enter their properties for 90 minutes, "to tend to their gardens or businesses from 6.30pm-8pm".
Hicks said the return visits were the intention but health and safety concerns may mean that changed.
"We have a solid plan on how to deal with most issues that could happen with the excavation of the tip, but we don’t know what is in there and where. We have to clear the tip as the erosion continues to creep closer and want to minimise the risk of it going into the sea."
The initial planning estimated the work would take up to three weeks, "however, this could change depending on the health and safety risks we encounter as the work progresses", Hicks said.
Four historical landfill and dump sites — assessed as vulnerable to extreme weather events and coastal erosion — would be cleaned up after the Government announced a $6.6m grant.
Minister for the Environment Penny Simmonds recently announced a joint funding bid by Environment Southland and Southland District Council towards the removal of material at the dump site.
The Bluecliffs dump site was located within Te Waewae Bay west of the Waiau River, where costal tides and Waiau River mouth flooding led to erosion to parts of the site and surrounding areas.
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