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Mud and sediment run-off
If you are building this winter, remember to keep mud on your site. In the past, the main problem with stormwater was flooding. Now stormwater is known to be one of the main causes of water pollution in the world. In Auckland it affects water quality and marine life in our harbours. When rain falls onto our properties some of it soaks into the soil, but some flows overland to our roads, drains, and watercourses and eventually to the sea. In the course of that overland flow it gets dirty. A significant contributor is mud and sediment from exposed ground on building sites during the wet season. The golden rule of sediment control is to keep sediment within your site. Appropriate methods can be found in Silt and sediment control methods (Annexure 14) of the Auckland City District Plan - isthmus section. Auckland City is undergoing unprecedented levels of construction. The city is built on slopes, and sloping ground means run-off is more rapid allowing less soakage. Construction is increasingly on small sites or on sites with greater building coverage. Ground space is at a premium for the storage, loading and unloading of building materials and this means less space for soakage and sediment control measures. Frequently trucks track mud onto roads where no wheel washing facilities exist on site. If a development has a resource consent, the consent may specifically require sediment control. Generally, it is a breach of the district plan to allow any silt or sediment to enter the stormwater drains or channels from earthworks or bare land, and a wheelwash is required on all sites where loose material may be carried by vehicle tyres and deposited on public roads. Find out about environmental fines. |
