Sediment, that is silt and dirt, is North Shore City’s number one pollutant.

During heavy rain, sediment – often from poorly managed building sites– enters our streams and waterways, smothering and killing the organisms and fish that live in them.

Darryl Saussey, the site manager of a Manson Developments building project in Takapuna, is one person who is taking sedimentation seriously.

During recent heavy rain the steep site Darryl was working on had become a bog.

Potentially the muddy water from the property could have flowed onto the street, into the city’s stormwater system and ultimately onto Takapuna Beach.

Aware of the environmental damage that could be caused, Darryl came up with an innovative solution to drain the building site, and filtering the muddy water as much as possible before it was discharged.

His system involved pumping the water through layers of filter cloth into a detention tank then through more filter cloth.

Although the system would not be the most appropriate for other sites, it removed a large amount of sediment.

We would like to thank Darryl for his efforts and encourage all others to take appropriate measures and reduce the amount of sediment polluting our streams and beaches.

Remember:

• If you see dirty water being discharged onto the street call Actionline on 486 8600 immediately

• If you are managing a building site, put appropriate silt control measures in place (ARC TP90) – these are generally conditions of consent and failing to do so could result in heavy penalties.