Gales turn subdivision dustbowl into blizzard

SOIL SHIFT: gale force easterlies and a dry, grassless subdivision see clouds of dust stirred up on the new subdivision below these Picquet Hill houses. 039081AD

Neighbouring residents have had their fill of regular dirt showers onto properties

By Grant Johnston

Residents living in the vicinity of the large subdivision on Cambridge Road say they have had to put up with inconvenience over a protracted period. But the combination of dry conditions and this week’s gale force winds whipped the soil stripped subdivision into a dirt blizzard that frequently showered neighbouring properties.

One Hiskens Place couple told the Courier they have not washed their house or car for six weeks.

“There’s no point, everything just gets dirty again.”

And while it may be the height of summer, drying washing outside has become a difficult proposition.

While the problem is plain for all to see, the solution is not so obvious.

“Under the Resource Management Act, Environment Waikato manages silt and dust and we are strongly encouraging the subdividors to adhere to those rules,” says Waipa District Council engineering manager, John Kerr.

One of the conditions of consent for earthworks on the site is keeping dust nuisance to a ‘practicable minimum’.

Following a complaint from a resident, Environment Waikato’s monitoring contractor visited the site and viewed the dust nuisance. Subsequently, EW notified the site manager to take all possible measures to mitigate the dust nuisance.

Grant Blackie, forestry and minerals programme manager for EW, says the contractors were instructed to ensure they do not cause objectionable or offensive dust effects beyond the boundary of the construction site, as required under the Resource Consent.

Mr Blackie says dry, windy conditions have resulted in problems at a number of Waikato subdivisions.

“We are asking developers and contractors to ‘up their game’ to control the issue, although the combination of conditions experienced this week make it pretty hard for everyone concerned.”