Leaching of copper, chromium and arsenic from treated vineyard posts in Marlborough, New Zealand.

There have been conflicting reports as to the extent that copper-chromium-arsenic (CCA) treatments leach from timber. In New Zealand, vineyards utilise CCA-treated posts at a rate of 579 posts per hectare. This represents a potential CCA burden on the soil of 12, 21, and 17 kg/ha, respectively, for the three elements. Given a replacement rate of 4% per year, the use of CCA-treated posts may result in an accumulation of these elements in the soil, possibly leading to groundwater contamination. We undertook a general survey to determine the extent of CCA leaching from treated vineyard posts. Treated Pinus radiata posts were sampled at six sites around the Marlborough region of New Zealand to represent a range of post ages and soil types. For each post, above- and belowground wood samples were taken. As well, the soil adjacent to the post was sampled at a 50 mm horizontal and 100 mm vertical distances from the post. The belowground wood samples of the posts had significantly lower CCA concentrations than the aboveground portions, which were not significantly different from new posts. This indicates leaching. Soils surrounding the posts had significantly higher CCA concentrations than control soils. Higher CCA concentrations were measured under the posts than laterally. Some 25% of the samples exceeded 100 mg/kg As, the Australian National Environment Protection Council (ANEPC) guideline level for As in agricultural soil, and 10% exceeded 100 mg/kg Cr, the ANEPC limit for chromium. At one site, we found a significant positive correlation between post age and CCA-leaching. The CCA issue could be eliminated by using alternative posts, such as steel, concrete, or untreated woods such as Eucalyptus or beech. Alternatively, CCA-treated posts could, for example, be lacquered or otherwise protected, to reduce the rate of CCA leaching.