By Emma Cropper
Yaldhurst residents living next door to a quarry on the outskirts of Christchurch say the city's drinking water could be at risk because the quarry's owners have dug too far down into an aquifer.
So locals put up a drone to find out what was going on.
"I feel that the concerns of the residents with their health is paramount," says resident Anne Youngman.
Their concerns were raised when one of them put up a drone above the quarry next door. They say pictures of pooled water prove that the Winstone quarry has dug below the water table.
The pictures were taken 12 months ago and it's taken this long for Environment Canterbury (ECan) to act against Winstone.
"ECan are supposed to be looking after us as residents and as ratepayers, and they're not. They're really not," says Ms Youngman.
ECan has finally issued an abatement notice that confirms the quarry was dug one metre below the allowed level. But it also tested 19 local wells and found the residents had no reason to be concerned. Polluted surface water was not draining into the aquifer below.
"We monitor water quality in this ourselves – nothing to do with Winstone's – and have not found a problem," says ECan commissioner David Caygill.
However, Winstone insists it's remained above groundwater level at all times. The quarry claims the water visible on the surface came from quarrying operations and pooling rain water.
As for that abatement notice it received from ECan, Winstone says it is investigating the matters raised and will work to resolve any issues.
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