Questions and answers - Health and Safety

How do I deal with liquefaction silt?

People should avoid unnecessary contact with liquefaction silt. If people must work with it, the Canterbury District Health Board advises the following precautions:

  • wear water proof gloves, gumboots and a dust mask
  • shower or wash immediately afterwards
  • wash contaminated clothes separately after use.

The procedure for sewage contaminated silt is as follows:

  • residents should call the Christchurch City Council contact centre on (03) 0941 8999 with the details of the problem
  • ideally those details should include an approximation of the volume of silt and the area to be decontaminated
  • the ground will be sanitised as part of the process
  • the service should be completed within two days of the request
  • sewage contaminated silt will be removed at no charge

Silt arising through liquefaction on private land is the responsibility of the resident/property owner to dispose of through the local transfer station. The charge for this is $25 per tonne until January 2012.