Liz May 18th, 2009
Morphum Environmental Ltd has been awarded this years IPENZ Arthur Mead award for the Environment and Sustainability (small projects) for their work on the Roy Clements Treeway Boardwalk Project. This award is for the application of environmental awareness to the solution of an engineering problem. The award was presented at the IPENZ (Institute of Professional Engineers of New Zealand) presidents dinner this Wednesday.
Caleb Clarke told STEPS that “The success of this project lies in no small part to your passion and energy in collaborating and contributing along the way. On behalf of Morphum, many thanks to STEPS and Waicare for your work and congratulations for the success.”
Congratulations to Morpheum on the award!
Tags: Roy Clements Treeway
meolacreek May 5th, 2009
St Lukes Mall is less than 200 metres from Meola Creek, Lyon Ave.
Here is a typical flood occurring several times a year - where the Watercare Services Edendale branch sewer overflows at Lyon Ave, and pours a torrent of stormwater (including pollutants and sewage from combined sewers) into Meola Creek, and over the grounds of adjacent schools.
a torrent of stormwater (including pollutants and sewage from combined sewers) into Meola Creek
This week, Westfield notified a private plan change.
From initial reading of the documents we conclude that :
- Westfield wants to change the zoning of many residential 6a and 7b properties to business 8
- they plan an expansion of an extra 23000 sq meters beyond their shopping mall of 35800 sq meters + carpark of 26000 sq m
- the mall development will occur over an additional 49000 sq m (carpark plus existing residential properties)
- they are planning for a FIVE (5) fold increase in consumption of water; and emission of waste water and a TEN (10) fold increase in storm water - both peak and average flows
- the existing northern carpark constructed in 2003 …appears to have inadequate stormwater disposal capacity as of now
- Watercare Services advised that the existing Edendale Branch sewer has adequate capacity to receive the additional waste water
- no additional stormwater would be permitted to discharge into the sewer
- excess stormwater from the site would be directed on to adjacent road reserves…to continue along the natural course downstream of the shopping centre [ie into Meola Creek at Lyon Ave as above]
(Reference Report prepared for Westfield NZ Ltd by Tonkin and Taylor Ltd 18 November 2008)
STEPS believes:
- Auckland City Council should not issue approvals for extremely large scale developments such as this, in an area where their own reports frequently point out the lack of capacity of the stormwater and waste water infrastructure
- We challenge Watercare Services statements about adequate capacity - when we all know that waste water and stormwater overflow here many times a year
- Most New Zealanders will find it hard to understand that NZ’s largest city accepts this situation where raw sewage frequently flows through public parks and school grounds, and heavy metal pollutants pour into Waitemata Harbour beside [heritage protected] Te Tokaroa/ Meola Reef.
- It is even hard to understand how Westfield and the planners of Auckland City Council have worked for several years to develop a proposal which once again ignores the unacceptable reality of these overflows through the heart of the Mt Albert electorate.
- ARC, Auckland City and Watercare services need to make it a priority to upgrade the Watercare Interceptor to stop these overflows
NOTE: We understand that approval of this Private Plan change would mean that they need not seek resource consents in future, providing they comply with Business 8. We also understand that there are proposed RMA changes which would prevent private plan changes. This probably increases the urgency of the approval of the plan change for Westfield - as without it they would have to seek resource consents in future.
Any comments on or updates to the above are welcome.
meolacreek April 7th, 2009
The first stage of the Meola creek walkway has been completed in the Roy Clements Treeway on Mt Albert Grammar School grounds. A boardwalk was built by Metrowater, and native plantings were carried out by volunteers including STEPS, under the direction of Melissa Marler.
Within a month or two of completion the boardwalk and new weir had already shown their value as these pictures taken in February 09 show. And the plants are surviving the extremes of wet and dry they experience.
The weir will enable more water to filter through to the aquifer.
Another planting programme is planned for this winter - starting on the weekend of 9-10 May 2009.
Watch this space for more details.
Tags: Metrowater
meolacreek March 19th, 2009
Nick Goldwater, Deputy Chair of STEPS will speak at the Meola Reef picnic Saturday, 21 March. STEPS members are very pleased to join with other community groups and people who care for the Meola creek and estuary.
Tags: auckland city, Nick Goldwater
Liz January 27th, 2009
The Ministry of Environment is developing objective and policies for managing New Zealand’s freshwater resources. See http://www.mfe.govt.nz/rma/central/nps/consultation/index.html
STEPS has joined with Friends of Oakley Creek to make a submission to ensure that the plight of urban streams is recognised and appropriate actions considered. The submission is attached.
Liz November 12th, 2008
It is hard to believe that Auckland City is reducing spending on critical infrastructure projects. Waste water infrastructure is a fundamental need of cities. Auckland is clearly not going to meet it’s ‘BIG CITY BASELINE’ in this area - which is critical to the health and well being of Aucklanders.
“One project sure to disappoint Aucklanders is an $86 million cut in
stormwater spending that will almost certainly result in waste overflows
continuing at St Heliers and other city beaches for years longer than
planned.”
link:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article…cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10542482
meolacreek November 5th, 2008
The Press Release we issued last week has resulted in STEPS being interviewed by Triangle TV.
The interview is 10 minutes long and the program is “Scrutiny” - it is on at:
Wed 5 November 7.30 pm (Triangle TV) - and
Tues 11 November 9.30 pm (Stratos) - on SKY 89
Tags: Media
Liz September 15th, 2008
In the case of Meola - it is not a creek when Housing NZ applied to Auckland Regional Council (ARC) for consent to cut off the meander at the top of the creek behind 96 Haverstock Rd. ARC chose to grant an UNNOTIFIED consent for Housing NZ to straighten the creek and build a concrete wall and lane over the creek bed as a permitted activity in a watercourse. So - by the time the Auckland City Council (ACC) public hearings for HNZ development of 41 units were held 2 months later - HNZ and ARC had already decided the creek’s fate. City Councillor Glenda Fryer has contacted ARC Chairman Mike Lee on behalf of the local community to ask how this happened.
We were pleased that the Kura Kaupapa in Haverstock Rd and the Environmental Network at Hort Research (who have planted around the wetland above the creek) joined STEPS and other submitters in raising concerns at the ACC Hearings in September. See attached JPG photos of the creek bed and the plantings above it done by the Environmental Network.
Our thanks to Community Board Chair Chris Dempsey - who appeared as a witness for STEPS and Meola Creek at the ACC Hearings. We await the decision from the hearings.
Meola Creek bed
4 months after Streamside planting June 2008
meolacreek May 14th, 2008
Stuff.co.nz is running a story on Mt Albert Grammar School head Dale Burden’s request for Metrowater to fence off the section of Meola Creek that runs through the school grounds. He says the water is so contaminated that rugby balls kicked in from the school’s nearby sports fields have to be retrieved with gloves on. Pat Prescott of the St Lukes Environmental Protection Society is quoted in the article:
“We’re hoping they’ll take some action now instead of waiting for another 20 years,” she says. “It’s filthy and full of bugs and really Third World.”
Pat points out that the creek has become polluted because the sewer system was built between 1900 to 1920 and cannot cope with the volume of people using it now.
Mr Burden of Mt Albert Grammar is quoted as saying that the problem is not the schools responsibility and that the authorities need to step in.
“I’m not interested in waiting 20 years for sewer separation to happen,” he says.
“They say they are a community friendly organisation but this is about as community friendly as the bubonic plague.
The full article can be accessed here: Action Call On Polluted Creek
