River Gravel Extraction Compliance Report Wiki Mooney, Environmental Compliance Officer and Steve Pickles, Principal Compliance Officer Environment Bay of Plenty Environmental Publication2005/07 April 2005 5 Quay Street P O Box 364 Whakatane NEW ZEALAND ISSN 1175 - 9372 Working with our communities for a better environment Environment Bay of Plenty Contents Chapter 1: Introduction ....................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2: Methodology...................................................................................... 3 Chapter 3: Extraction Volumes and Compliance....................................... 4 Chapter 4: Summary and Conclusion............................................................ 7 Environmental Publication 2005/07 River Gravel Extraction Compliance Report 1 Chapter 1: Introduction This report has been prepared to indicate the level of compliance in respect of consented gravel extraction from rivers in the Bay of Plenty region. This report covers the period July 2001 to December 2004. An activity involving the disturbance of the bed of a river is controlled by section 13 of the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) and therefore requires consent. However, gravel extraction is normally undertaken away from waters edge so as to avoid any sediment contamination of the watercourse. In the Bay of Plenty region, the areas of high gravel concentrations are in the eastern Bay of Plenty rivers. In fact all of the resource consents for gravel extraction are for rivers located within the eastern Bay of Plenty. Individuals and companies who require large volumes of gravel for construction works and building foundations hold resource consents for such activities. Environment Bay of Plenty’s Operations and Rural Services Department also hold resource consents which enable them to remove gravel to prevent erosion and the exacerbation of flooding caused by build-up of the riverbed. In addition to the consented extractions of gravel, up to 100 cubic metres per year is able to be taken from riverbeds as a permitted activity under the Regional River Gravel Management Plan. Extractions beyond this limit and up to 7,500 cubic metres per year are also permitted provided it is undertaken by or on behalf of Environment Bay of Plenty for river management and flood protection. This report only covers extractions carried out under resource consents and does not include volumes extracted under the Gravel Plan. Environmental Publication 2005/07 River Gravel Extraction Compliance Report 3 Chapter 2: Methodology Environment Bay of Plenty has a responsibility under the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) to monitor consented activities, including gravel consents. Monitoring of consents is normally undertaken as a result of notification by the consent holder, however it can also be triggered as the result of a complaint through the Environment Bay of Plenty Pollution Hotline. The Works Engineer, under contract to the Consents and Compliance section, undertakes compliance monitoring on the gravel extraction consents. They are able to direct contractors to certain areas of river sections requiring the removal of gravel, and are therefore aware when and where any river works are occurring. Compliance staff receive weekly notification from the Works Engineer outlining all works to be undertaken on particular rivers and streams within that week. The notification includes the site name and the appropriate consent number for the site. This allows compliance staff to audit operations authorised by the Works Engineer to ensure transparency and avoid any conflict of interest. Although a number of consents have expired, extraction rights are still being exercised under s.124 of the Resource Management Act 1991. At the time of this report, there were six current consents and twelve consents operating under s.124. There were also a further two consents that have expired during the reporting period and no further application has been made to continue extraction at the site i.e. they are not operating under s.124. All of the consents have environmental conditions specified. Most of the consents have conditions that state: • All gravel extraction to be carried out above water level. • No extractions or stream crossings are to occur during fish spawning season. • No extractions or machinery operations to be undertaken within 4.0 metres from the waters edge. • Material shall not be stockpiled within 20 metres of the water’s edge. • Refuelling activities or fuel storage shall not occur within 20 metres of water’s edge. • Stream crossings shall be kept to a minimum and only at designated sites. • Any works shall not damage stopbanks and/or river protection works. • The extraction site is to be left in a condition that compliments the existing landscape, aesthetic and amenity values of the surrounding areas. • The consent holder is required to submit returns on a regular basis of the volumes of gravel removed. Environmental Publication 2005/07 River Gravel Extraction Compliance Report 4 Chapter 3: Extraction Volumes and Compliance Below is a summary indicating the total quantity of gravel extracted from each river for the period July 2001 to December 2004. Table 1: River Gravel Extraction 2001/2004 (Consented Sites only) River Total Volume Extracted (m3) Consent Used Whakatane River 49,570 50372, 60235 Waimana River 58,883 50371, 50449, 60284 Horomanga River 34,833 50706, 50828, 50851, 60300, 61429 Ohutu Stream 3,525 50706, 50851, 60300, 61429 Mangamate River 8,623 50828, 60300, 61429 Kopuriki Stream 522 60023, 61437 Waikokopu Stream 430 50706 Waihui Stream 2,426 60443 Waioeka River 55,622 50705, 51060, 60304 Otara River 4,001 51061 Waiotahe River 5,526 50448 Waiaua River 850 50922 Raukokore River 776 51035 TOTAL 225 587m3 For comparison, river gravel extraction totals for the financial years from start of July 2001 to end of December 2004 are listed in the table below. Table 2: Total volumes of gravel extracted from rivers in the Bay of Plenty Region Year Volume of gravel extracted 2001/ 2002 75026 2002/ 2003 86019 2003/ 2004* 64542 TOTAL 225,587 * Includes volumes from July 2003 to December 2004 River Gravel Extraction Compliance Report Environmental Publication 2005/07 5 Environment Bay of Plenty The average extraction of gravel during the 1993/1997 period was 200,000m3 per year, for the 1997/2001 period was 98,000m3 per year and for this reporting period (2001/2004) the average extraction was approximately 75,000m3 per year. The recent decrease in extraction has resulted in a large build-up of gravel in some streams and rivers. An example of this was the Horomanga River, where in order to manage the stream effectively, Environment Bay of Plenty’s River Engineer authorised more gravel to be extracted than allowed by the consent limits. Table 3: Gravel Extraction Exceedence Consent Site Period Volume Consent Limit Number Extracted (m3) (m3/annum) 50828 Horomanga River 2002 14483 3000 50828 Horomanga River 2003 6337 3000 With the exception of the exceedence detailed above, there has only been one other compliance issue of note. This related to the way operations were being carried out under consent 60235. On two separate occasions in 2002 extraction had been carried out below the waterline and stockpiles were left within 20 metres of flowing water. However, compliance with this consent has been good since 2002. In summary, the overall compliance with gravel extraction consents has been good. Appendix I contains detailed compliance information for individual consents and highlights any issues relating to compliance at each site. River Gravel Extraction Compliance Environmental Publication 2005/07 7 Chapter 4: Summary and Conclusion At the time this report was being prepared there were six current consents and twelve s124 consents authorising the extraction of gravel from rivers in the Bay of Plenty region. There were also a further two consents that had expired during the reporting period. The Regional Gravel Management Plan allows for limited extraction of gravel as a permitted activity but greater quantities are required to be extracted to effectively manage rivers and streams in the eastern Bay of Plenty. These larger extractions are covered under individual consents. The previous report highlighting the same activities achieved a compliance rating of 100 percent. Although compliance for this report has not achieved the same level, the two issues of non- compliance discussed in the previous chapter did not result in any significant environmental effect. Therefore the overall level of compliance is still rated as good. Contractors and Environment Bay of Plenty staff have achieved a good working relationship so that minimal supervision is required to ensure compliance with consent conditions. Environmental Publication 2005/07 River Gravel Extraction Compliance Report Environment Bay of Plenty 9 Appendix I – Gravel Extraction Compliance Summary Forms Gravel Extraction Compliance Summary Consent Holder: Waiotahi Metal Supplies Consent Number 50371 Status Expired 31 October 1996 s.124 applied Location Waimana River: Dunstan’s property at site 2 & 3 Last Activity March 2002 Returns Supplied Yes Compliance Issues None Gravel Extraction Compliance Summary Consent Holder: Waiotahi Metal Supplies Consent Number 50372 Status Expired: 31 October 1996 s.124 applied Location Whakatane River: Sykes & Dunstan’s property and Reid’s Road Last Activity March 2003 Returns Supplied Yes Compliance Issues None Environmental