Three Kings United Group Inc
General information about Three Kings United Group
President : Dianne Hill ph 09-520-3985
Secretary : Robin Duke ph 09-624-1520
To help : Austen Bell ph 027 216-3261
email : threekings.enviro@xtra.co.nz
Three Kings United Group was formed in 1995 when it became known that Winstone Aggregates Ltd had applied for resource consent to take water from the Three Kings aquifer, allowing quarrying to continue a further 57 metres down to sea level. At the same time consent was sought by Auckland City Council to build a water pumping station on the quarry site so that the unwanted ground water could be reticulated to about 40,000 people in the Three Kings and Hillsborough areas.
Both resource consents were granted.
Our group has campaigned effectively to bring to light major concerns about the consequences of these two resource consents.
Three Kings Quarry to be Filled
But First - Rock Blasting Using Chemical Explosives
Recent Developments :-
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March 2012 |
The Three Kings Quarry filling project starts on Landscape Road is proposed as the main feeder route to the
quarry. Daily, hundreds of heavy trucks will use turn right into a
very congested Creating more noise, dust, diesel fumes and congestion. A blight on a prime
residential area. The road safety, adverse health and community impact issues
were not fully investigated at the Consent Hearing. VOICE YOUR CONCERNS TO YOUR COUNCILLORS |
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July 2011 |
QUARRY BLASTING NOISE, DUST Winstone Aggregates
plan to start blasting at the Three Kings Quarry in July 2011 and continue
the operation for 18 months to 2 years.
This is a precarious plan and unprecedented for an inner city quarry
adjoining a large residential area,
because:-
There is no buffer zone. There should
be a buffer zone of 300 metres to the nearest resident.
There has been no pre-blasting building survey done. There
is no "strict insurance liability cover".
Pedestrians and traffic will be at risk from fly rock.
Houses, buildings, sewers and roads are at risk from blasting vibration. Chemicals
and explosive residues will pollute the aquifer. Residential
property will be devalued. JOIN THE PROTEST.
CALL YOUR COUNCILLOR OR MP |
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September 2010 |
WINSTONE'S HAVE MADE A SUPPLEMENTARY RESOURCE CONSENT
APPLICATION. This relates to the discharge of contaminants to air,
land and water and to the controlled filling of the quarry. This is seen as a move to protect the company against
any potential litigation in the event of any future damage to the environment from their filling
project - shifting the goal posts once again. The Application is before the Environment Court pending
a hearing in early December 2010. In the meantime the appeals against the first consent
approval are on hold while the second application is heard. Three Kings United, South Epsom Planning Group, Ngai Tai
Ki Tamaki, St. Lukes Enviro Group, Envirowaste Services Ltd and Watercare have lodged their
submissions in the Environment Court. Here we have all the makings of a
prolonged environment court battle. Watch our postings. |
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December 2009 |
Resource
Consent Granted by the Auckland City Council
(ACC) Click here to read the ACC
Commissioners Report (pdf file size 1.7MB) Consents from both Councils were required. Appeals to the Environment Court must be made within 15 working
days. |
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November 2009 |
Resource
Consent Granted by the Auckland Regional Council (ARC) |
Winstone Aggregates Ltd have been given
resource consents to fill the quarry
The Downside of the Massive
Project
1.
Alert. Another prolonged
quarry operation possibly taking up to 25 years. More dust, noise and trucking and generating
an unhealthy environment for the surrounding residents.
2.
Continued Dewatering of the Three Kings aquifer, affecting
properties in Mt Eden, Epsom, Three Kings, Mt Roskill, Sandringham, Royal Oak
and parts of Hillsborough. Subsidence
damage is already evident in subsidence zones.
The Earthquake Commission have confirmed there is no insurance cover for
man-made subsidence damage; similarly the private insurance companies. Who
accepts liability? Winstone Aggregates
Ltd, Auckland City Council or Auckland Regional Council? As a ratepayer have
you been notified by these Councils that your property is in a dewatering
subsidence zone? There are approximately
10,000 properties affected by the dewatering operation – the extraction pumps
deep within the quarry have an existing consent to extract up to 7500 cubic
metres of water per day. This is
intolerable and unacceptable. The
residents are entitled to real security for their property and peace of mind.
3.
Dust Pollution.
Quarry dust has been inflicted on the neighbourhood for some 80 years.
The super-fine dust from the filling activities, trucking, dumping and
bulldozing will cover a wide residential area.
This is an unwanted health hazard - a large proportion of the dust is in
the “PM10” category which is inhalable super-fine mineral particles.
4.
Trucking Movements.
The proposed new entranceway to the quarry off Mt Eden Road, opposite
the school and close to Grahame Breed Drive is unacceptable because it is
dangerous. Winstone Aggregates Ltd are planning for up to 800 truck movements per day at this
location. This will cause severe
congestion to Mt Eden Road and mayhem at the intersection with Mt Albert
Road. Pedestrians, and particularly
school children, will bear the increased risk from traffic accidents, plus the
increased air pollution from up to 800 diesel truck movements per day.
5.
Vermin Invasion. A
common problem with most fill sites is the importation of a variety of vermin -
from cockroaches to rats and mice – which are carted in amongst the rubble and
fill from excavation and demolition sites.
Do we have to suffer this?
6.
Incompatible. The
filling and quarrying operations in the heart of a prime residential area are
totally incompatible with our residential lifestyle and amenities. There is no adequate buffer zone to mitigate
the adverse environmental effects.
7.
Aquifer. The Three
Kings aquifer is highly vulnerable to contaminants. There is no pit liner/clay
or plastic specified. Down-stream ecosystems will suffer disturbance. The
Onehunga Springs water supply risks being downgraded.
Inversion layer of pollution over the
quarry pit
Previous Developments - 1995 to 2009 :-
The main concerns of local residents and the wider community have focused on;
1. The health problems caused by
drinking the contaminated aquifer water.
After years of concerted effort we have managed to convince the City Councillors, the Metrowater managers and the Medical Officer of
Health that the quarry water is not suitable for drinking. Acknowledgement of
our success came in the form of a front page article in the Central Leader of
9th March 2001;
·
"Astley
springs a surprise" is the front page headline in the Central Leader.
"After six years of battles, the plug may finally be pulled on plans to
supply drinking water from Three Kings Quarry. The decision follows a surprise
about-turn by Auckland City works committee chairman, Doug Astley, who unexpectedly
sided with concerned residents at a meeting on Wednesday. Mr Astley recommended
the Three Kings water supply not be connected, but be retained as a water
supply for emergency use. It was passed seven votes in favour and
only one against." "Mr Astley says the weight of public concern
forced him to alter his stand." "After all the residents have been
through" says Corinne McLaren, President of the Three Kings United Group,
"we were not expecting him to stand up and say let's not connect the
water." "Metrowater spokeswoman Sharon Buckland did not wish to
comment at this stage."
·
Political history of the proposed water supply
·
Sewage overflow in the water catchment area
·
Stormwater outflow from the Plaza carparks
2. Land subsidence caused by dewatering the
aquifer.
·
Graphs of the subsidence at 30 selected sites (pdf
file)
·
Photos of reported building damage
·
Quotes from the Test Reports
·
ARC
Officers Report to the Review Hearing 21-25 July 2003
o
ARC's Summary of the 574 Public Submissions
o
ARC's Discussion of the Public Submissions
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ARC Commissioners Report from the
Public Hearing
o
ARC-proposed new Consent Permit following from
the Public Hearing
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Land Subsidence - What Went Wrong
o
March 1999: Winstone Aggregates started pumping the water out of the Three Kings
Aquifer.
o
July 1999: First indications from the monitoring data (bore holes 11A and 15)
that the subsidence predictions were inaccurate. Dewatering continues.
o
November 1999: Second indication of problems (bore hole 18A). Dewatering continues.
o
February 2000: Third indication of problems (bore hole 13B). Dewatering continues.
o
September 2001: Land subsidence exceeds the Resource Consent limit in Hillsborough
Road (survey mark SM1979). Dewatering continues.
o
December 2001: Land subsidence exceeds the Resource Consent limit in the St
o
April 2002: Land subsidence exceeds the Resource Consent limit in the area around
Shackleton Rd, Mt Eden Rd, Landscape Rd, Rewa Rd and Fulljames St. Also in the
area around Rowan Rd and Mt Albert Rd. (data from 7 survey marks) Dewatering
continues.
o
October 2002: Land subsidence exceeds the Resource Consent limit at 18 more survey
sites in the following areas;
§
Three Kings
Plaza
§
Duke St,
Hamon Ave, McCulloch Ave
§
St
Leonards Rd, Mt Eden Rd
§
Landscape
Rd, Rewa Rd, Duke St, Mt Eden Rd
§
Quentin
Ave, Gorrie Ave, St
The Auckland Regional
Council finally takes action and requests a temporary halt to the dewatering.
o
Quote from the ARC Commissioners Report (pages 11-12), 5 September 2003, regarding
what went wrong:- "The expected outcome from the drawdown of groundwater
presented at the original application by the applicant's technical experts has
turned out to be seriously flawed,
and the explanation offered by the consent holder's advisers, as to why this
was the case is not convincing.
Very simplistic assumptions were adopted at the time of the original hearing
regarding the expected groundwater behaviour, and confident predictions made of
negligible ground settlement away from the immediate vicinity of the quarry.
This was despite the fact that the intended water table lowering of over 50m
was very large, and could hardly help but have a very significant impact on the
groundwater behaviour in the vicinity of the quarry. Unless very complete and
accurate information was available on geological conditions, it seems unreasonable to assume that the
material immediately adjacent to the volcanic crater would not be affected by
the formation of the crater. It would also seem unreasonable to assume that there would be a complete absence of
compressible materials in the zone likely to be affected by de-watering at the
quarry. The compressible soils in the Hillsborough Road area are little more
than 200m from the edge of the volcanic cone, and no allowance appears to have
been made at the time for the possible presence of such deposits, or the
likelihood that they would be affected by groundwater lowering."
o
The
technical reports were 'seriously
flawed' and the excuses are 'not
convincing'.
This is a disaster that has been 10 years in the making and it has its basis in
flawed reports from technical experts who made a series of unreasonable
assumptions.
·
Land Subsidence - Events Since the Dewatering
was put 'on hold' in November 2002
o
February 2003: Winstone Aggregates issue a report from Pattle Delamore Partners Ltd
which recommends that “Active dewatering of the quarry should be reinstated
quickly to allow a simpler model for transient calibration of the groundwater
analysis.”
o
February 2003: Winstone Aggregates issue a report from Tonkin and Taylor Ltd
requesting that the Auckland Regional Council accept far greater levels of
subsidence than were approved in the Resource Consent. For Zone 2B there is no
limit stated for the amount of subsidence.
o
March 2003: Earthtech Consulting Ltd present their report to the ARC. Earthtech's
report is a peer review of the reports commissioned by Winstone Aggregates and
is critical of several important aspects of the Winstone reports. Earthtech
state that "Alternative settlement
calculations show that with further dewatering, potential differential
settlement may develop to levels that would start to cause building
damage." Earthtech also state that they "are not convinced that there will be no adverse effect if
dewatering continues to 60m depth."
o
April 2003: The ARC started a statutory review process which will be open for
public comment and will look at the conditions of the dewatering consent. The
Three Kings community waits to see if the ARC has the will to do anything about
this subsidence problem before it gets seriously worse.
o
19 June 2003: The ARC have received 574 public submissions.
548 against the dewatering and 26 for continued dewatering.
o
July 2003: Pattle Delamore Partners Ltd issue a new report that recommends that
dewatering be held at its current level.
o
21 to 25 July 2003: Public Hearings to review the conditions of the dewatering resource
consent.
o
5 September 2003: The ARC Commissioners issue their "Determination on Consent
Review". The salient points are:-
§
Hold the
water level at its present level until 31 December 2004.
§
Dewatering
may then continue in a strictly controlled way in a slow stepwise fashion,
provided increased monitoring supports further dewatering.
§
Hold the
water level at the level it is at if differential ground settlement reaches
1:2000.
§
Annual
reviews.
§
6 new
monitoring bores requested by Transit NZ, plus 4 other new bores.
§
5 Million
dollar bond to be made available to the ARC to provide for compliance with the
consent conditions.
§
New
conditions are added for ground settlement monitoring.
§
New
condition is added for making good any damage.
§
New
condition is added for settlement limits.
§
New
condition is added for protection of historic buildings.
§
New
condition is added for the creation of an Assessment Panel to carry out
inspections on potentially damaged structures.
§
The
consent holder is required to cease taking water if differential settlement
reaches 1:1000.
§
More
ground monitoring points in the worst affected areas.
§
Detailed
survey of all buildings in the areas of greatest risk, particulary zone IIA.
o
1 October 2003: Winstone Aggregates issue an appeal on the new resource consent
conditions. Their key requests are:-
§
Speed up
the dewatering process.
§
Add only
the Transit NZ-requested new bores, but stall their installation for as long as
possible.
§
No Bond
while the dewatering is in progress.
§
No extra
survey points in zones IIB, IIIA and IIIB. Stall the installation of the other
new survey points as long as possible.
§
Delete
the requirement to "make good any damage" because it is
"inappropriate, unreasonable and unnecessary".
§
Invoke
the stringent tests placed on the property holders that they must prove that
the damage is of a structural nature and that their building was properly
constructed in the first place. The burden of proof is placed on the property holders.
§
No
building surveys.
§
Winstone
Aggregates will not be liable for any adverse effects "authorised or
contemplated by this consent". Note: Non-structural building damage is not
prohibited by this consent; only structural damage is prohibited.
§
Establish
an Audit Panel to remove the overall control from the ARC. The Audit Panel will
be funded and maintained by Winstone Aggregates. It will have no legal status
and bear no liability.
o
6 October 2003: Three Kings United Group issue an appeal on the new resource consent
conditions. Our key requests are:-
§
Stop the
dewatering.
§
Install
all the new monitoring bores and ground survey points without delay.
§
Increase
the Bond to 25 million dollars.
§
Agree
with the ARC on all their new requirements which help to protect the interests
of the property holders.
§
Detailed
survey of all buildings in all zones affected by the dewatering.
§
Add a
statutory definition of what constitutes 'structural' damage in Condition 10.
§
Terminate
the Resource Consent when Condition 10 has been breached.
§
Make the
damage assessment and claims process less stressful for the claimant.
o
12 November 2003: Transit NZ issue a 'section 274 notice' on
the new resource consent conditions. Their key requests are:-
§
Conduct a
baseline engineering study in zone IIIA, which encompases a section of the new
state highway 20, as per the Three Kings United appeal.
§
Increase
the amount of monitoring and surveying as per the Three Kings United appeal.
o
12 November 2003: Epsom Environmental Effects Society Inc issue a 'section 274 notice'
on the new resource consent conditions. Their key requests are:-
§
Agree
with the ARC on all their new requirements which help to protect the interests
of the property holders.
§
Generally
disagree with all of Winstone Aggregates requests because they are not in the
interests of the property holders.
§
Delete
the words in Condition 10 that were previously added, by a Winstone appeal to
the Environment Court, because they place an unnecessary hurdle in the way of a
property owner seeking recovery from Winstone.
§
Detailed
survey of all buildings within the area of wider settlement affected by the
dewatering.
§
The Bond
shall be backed up by an irrevocable Deed issued by Winstone's parent company.
§
Make the
damage assessment and claims process less stressful for the claimant.
§
The ARC
shall appoint an independent expert to monitor and report on the Consent
Holder's exercise of the consent.
§
The ARC
shall report quarterly to the property owners in the area.
o
25 May 2004: First Mediation Hearing in the Environment Court, Auckland. No
significant progress.
3. The suitability of a quarry in a residential
area.
·
Future aerial view - a hole down to sea level
·
Future pictorial view - a hole down to sea
level
·
Cross-sectional diagram of the quarry.
4. Act of Parliament - 1915 No 68 - Dated 12th
October 1915.
·
Big King Protection Zone Infringement - Negligent
quarrying operation
5. Quarry Dust Survey.
·
Mineral composition of the rock dust from the Three
Kings Quarry
You are invited to join our Environmental
Society
To assist and help the Group improve the wellbeing of the residents
by working to eliminate quarrying activities and their associated dust,
pollution, noise, trucking chaos and degradation of ground water.
The residents of Three Kings, Mt Eden, Epsom and Mt Roskill
deserve the highest environmental standards in keeping
with their property and life style.
THREE KINGS UNITED GROUP INC
For membership forms please phone
Dianne 623-6642 or Austen 027-216-3261