These are photos that I sent with a brief rundown to Ross Muir of Insight after receiving the letter about the Proposal to construct a Bypass drain on the north east corner of the Sponge Bay Subdivision.

It has been my opinion that much of the problem we have with the amount of water now entering our stream has been due to work carried out last winter by OPUS (consultants to Transit) and TRANSIT.

I am led to believe that storm water in the old open culvert on SH35 used to run both east ( to Murphy Rd ) and west into the stream.In other words there has been a diversion.Which I am told is not legal.
I have been battling OPUS and TRANSIT for months now,including engaging a lawyer from Auckland.Not to mention contacting every Dept. NZ wide DOC etc.Our council, including the Mayor.To no avail of course.Hence contacting the Auditor generals office.
TRANSIT/OPUS deny that this is the case and the reason that the culvert was piped was a safety issue only, in that, should a vehicle leave the road on Lewingtons corner, vehicles would end up in the culvert.
Hence that area being piped.I don't wear it! But that is what they are saying.In fact the exercise was headed SAFETY REFIT.

When the culvert was dug out, the magnitude of the ditch was such that we had them stop work.They finally agreed to pipe that area.The area I mention is in front of my sons property.See fotos forwarded separately. Then they dug up our driveway to run the pipes.Those pipes were to stop there.Again the magnitude of the drain was such we stopped work again. I threatened to get an injunction which I had instructed my lawyer to do. Again they agreed to pipe in front of our property.
Unfortunately they have only piped some of the distance and I ask you all to take a look at the culvert area where it runs into the stream.

My brief to Ross Muir voiced my concern that we already have a flooding / silting problem and that we were very concerned of any further storm water entering the stream (from the subdivision).
On Ross receiving that email with the photos, I had a visit from Trevor Burrows who was genuinely horrified with the work carried out by TRANSIT and the flooding of our property and stream.Trevor is looking into the situation through their engineers.

My point is that the situation from storm water having being diverted, now piped (increased water flow/velocity) is a real issue that is being overlooked.We need to get all the facts together and get them right. An engineer is needed to confirm,or otherwise, that what I am suggesting is correct. Either way the medddling with the culvert and the depths it has been taken to is a real problem and should be a real concern to us all.

I have heard also that another subdivision is proposed behind the Ocean Beach Motel complex.This water will also be diverted this way.

Ray Dalton.