Not suppressing gravel road dust sickens children

A Southland mother is fearing for her children’s health after a ban on a gravel road dust suppressant has left them sicker than ever.

Mimihau resident Casey Caldwell cannot even open the windows at her property on Woods Rd, near Wyndham.

The dust created by heavy vehicles travelling down the gravel road 15m from where she and her family lived had resulted in serious respiratory health concerns being raised by a doctor for her three children aged under 3.

The issue was brought to the table at a Southland District Council (SDC) services and assets committee meeting yesterday where she, among others, pleaded during the public forum for a solution.

Mrs Caldwell said the constant plume of dust became an issue about three years ago, when Environment Southland’s (ES) regulations regarding dust suppression changed, and applying oil to gravel roads was no longer allowed without a resource consent.

She was unable to gain one, and as a result, the level of dust had become "unbearable".

"You can dust your house — a day later and it’s like it hasn’t been dusted in a year. It’s chronic."

Despite spending $7000 on fencing, there was no way of keeping the dust clouds out, she said.

Her mother, Carolynn Robertson, who also lived on the street, said the level of dust had quadrupled during the past few years, getting into everything and becoming "extremely dangerous" for the street’s residents, including others who had bronchial conditions.

"As they [her grandchildren] venture outside to play and a vehicle goes down the road, dust sends them into coughing fits and their eyes red and running."

The Caldwell family could no longer drink the rainwater which had been the water supply for the property since 1954.

While there were a couple of alternative routes, some trucks had disregarded them.

When Mrs Robertson approached Environment Southland, staff told her there was an alternative product to oil but it cost $1600 per 100 metres, only lasted six weeks and could be washed away in the rain.

Mataura resident Brian Carnie, who lived with his family of five on Oakland Rd, two of whom had asthma, felt the pain of the residents on Woods Rd.

He, too, was struggling with the effects of heavy vehicles creating dust.

Group manager services and assets Matt Russell said SDC and Environment Southland had "certainly noticed" the issue had become much more significant since oiling was cut back.

He assured the submitters a solution was being examined and budget for an alternative sealant had been proposed to be included in the long-term plan 2021-31, post-July 1.

Council staff would be working with submitters on their individual situations to rectify the problem in the near future.

abbey.palmer@odt.co.nz