Old West Coast quarries pose danger

The Team Reporter from The Press

The risks to the public from two disused quarries on the West Coast are “huge”, with one local leader saying the situation is “incredibly urgent”.

Both quarries belong to the West Coast Regional Council – one is near Blackball and the other at Kiwi Point near Stillwater, east of Greymouth.

The council temporarily suspended its quarry operations throughout the Coast in May so it could “reset” its management of them and prepare a new tender process for each of its active quarries at Inchbonnie, Camelback (Kowhitirangi) and at Okuru in Haast.

A consultant was called in to review the current status of each quarry, including those no longer used.

Keri Harrison told the council meeting on Wednesday the quarries at Blackball and Kiwi Point would both need further technical safety work to cover the council's legal liability.

The Blackball one presented a risk to users on the recently widened Croesus Rd, “with rock looking to exit on to the road”.

It had been out of use for about a decade.

“It has fractured quite significantly in the past four years ... it's moving.”

The movement was visible from the road and the site needed updated signage. Ideally the site would be closed permanently, but mitigating the obvious risk at the site had to be undertaken to meet new legal requirements for quarry operators, Harrison said.

“A geotech report might recommend blasting the face and letting the rock fall and block access.”

Vibration from heavy machinery during the road widening would have accelerated rock movement, she said.

The road was improved in line with the opening of the new Paparoa Track Great Walk in late 2019.

Cr Laura Coll-McLaughlin said the Blackball issue sounded “incredibly urgent”.

“You don't know when it is going to go.”

Public safety was at stake and the council needed to act immediately to cover its liability, she said.

Coll-McLaughlin said it seemed the immediate risk should be notified straight away to at least warn the public.

Harrison said she had last looked at the Kiwi Point quarry in 2018, but it was hard to access this time.

Access to State Highway 7 had been previously flagged following reports in 2018 and 2021, which she described as "horrendous".

A WorkSafe notice in 2018 had restricted that quarry's use due to the difficult access.

“It is a hazard that needs to be addressed. My recommendation is to decommission ... the risks are huge.”

Rockfall risk there would have major consequences “but the likelihood is still moderate”.

However, a new assessment was needed to mitigate immediate danger.

Kiwi Point was coincidentally the site of a large slip that came down on the adjacent railway line, striking the TranzAlpine passenger train on the way to Greymouth early this month.