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Home >> Environment >> Natural resources >> Land and soil >> Erosion >> Earthworks - erosion and sediment control

Earthworks - erosion and sediment control

Image of earthworks at powerstation in Huntly.

Soil erosion is a natural process where gravity, wind and water wear away the soil surface. This process can be accelerated by activities like quarrying, earthworks construction and subdividing land. Find out how you can reduce your impact in the information below. 

On this page: In the news, erosion effects, resource consents for earthworks, download guidelines and information, workshops and training, contact information, useful links

In the news

Winter shut down - it's never too early to be thinking ahead!

Winter may seem a long way off but please remember that most earthworks sites are required to cease works and have their sites stabilised by 30 April. This usually means completing bulk earthworks in March to provide time for minor works, re-vegetation and mulching, etc . If your site has a consent that provides for limited approved winter earthworks then applications to undertake those works need to be lodged with Waikato Regional Council before 1 April. If you have any queries, please discuss with your Waikato Regional Council monitoring officer or contact us on 0800 800 401.

Erosion effects

Each year in the Waikato region, large areas of land are stripped of vegetation or laid bare because of construction or operating of quarries, subdivisions, roads, cleanfills and other developments. Without appropriate erosion and sediment control, these activities can result in accelerated on-site erosion and greatly increased sedimentation of waterways, lakes, estuaries and harbours.

Various studies show earthworks sites may produce 10 to 100 times more sediment yield compared with pastoral land, and 1000 times more compared with permanent forest cover.

Sediment can damage our waterways’ ecology by:

  • modifying or destroying instream, estuarine and coastal values (such as water quality and habitat)
  • affecting aquatic animals and plants due to:
    • smothering
    • changes in food sources
    • interruptions in lifecycles.

These damaging effects often totally change instream communities. Recovery from the impacts of sediment deposition is slow - years rather than months.

As well as ecological changes, sedimentation may:

  • damage water pumps and other structures
  • reduce domestic water quality
  • spoil an area’s appearance
  • affect the spiritual and cultural values that tangata whenua1 associate with a waterbody.
Image of earthworks at Huntly power station.

Resource consents for soil disturbance, roading, tracking and vegetation clearance

A resource consent may be required from the Waikato Regional Council if your activity will involve soil disturbance near streams, lakes, wetlands or coastal waters, or where the works are on steep land. Consents also may be required for stormwater discharges from these sites. Soil disturbance, roading, tracking or vegetation clearance projects that don’t require consents are called ‘permitted activities’, and these require compliance with specific conditions.

Find out more about resource consents, or call the Resource Use Freephone on 0800 800 402.

Download guidelines and information

Erosion and sediment control guidelines

You can download ‘Erosion and Sediment Control – Guidelines for Soil Disturbing Activities’ in PDF format below. You can also order a printed copy of these guidelines from our publications pages.

Use these guidelines when planning your earthworks project to develop an erosion and sediment control plan, and to prepare your project’s resource consent application if one is required. Note that granted resource consents will most likely require compliance with these guidelines. The guidelines should be used as best practice on permitted activity sites as well.

Erosion and sediment control guidelines
(4381 kb, 625 seconds to download, 56k modem)

Erosion and sediment control plan preparation guideline

Almost every site will require an erosion and sediment control plan (ESCP).

This guideline is to assist you with preparing your ESCP.

Download the guideline below.

Erosion and sediment control plan preparation guideline
(338 kb, 48 seconds to download, 56k modem)

Image of earthworks at Huntly power station.Winter works guideline

Most resource consents will require works to stop between 30 April and 30 September, unless written approval is obtained from the Waikato Regional Council.

This guideline is to assist you with making your application to continue works through the winter works shut down period.

Download the guideline in PDF format below.

Winter works application preparation guideline
(309 kb, 44 seconds to download, 56k modem)

Pre-construction meeting checklist

Most resource consents will require a pre-construction meeting with relevant parties involved in the project.

This checklist is to assist you with topics to discuss and agree upon with the Waikato Regional Council representative prior to commencement of works.

Download a PDF version of the checklist below.

Pre-construction meeting checklist
(256 kb, 36 seconds to download, 56k modem)

As built certification sheets

Most resource consents will require ESCs to have as-builts undertaken, and to be certified that they have been constructed in accordance with the approved ESCP or Waikato Regional Council's erosion and sediment control guidelines. 

These sheets are to assist you with the information required for the as built certifications.

Download PDF versions of the sheets below:

Sediment retention pond (SRP)
(343 kb, 49 seconds to download, 56k modem)

Decanting earth bund (DEB)
(330 kb, 47 seconds to download, 56k modem)

Silt fence/Super silt fence (SF/SSF)
(329 kb, 47 seconds to download, 56k modem)

Diversion channel/Diversion bund (DC/DB)
(346 kb, 49 seconds to download, 56k modem)

Workshops and trainingImage of erosion and sediment control workshop. 

The Waikato Regional Council offers workshop training opportunities for the earthworks industry.  

Practical erosion and sediment control

A one-day workshop with a practical focus on constructing erosion and sediment controls. This workshop covers best practice erosion and sediment control methods in accordance with the Waikato Regional Council's Erosion and Sediment Control Guidelines, Waikato Regional Plan requirements and legal obligations under the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA).  This workshop also includes a visit to a working site to view controls in the field.

Planning erosion and sediment control

A one-day advanced workshop with a practical focus for preparing erosion and sediment control plans and tips to assist with preparing land use resource consent applications. This workshop will cover the Waikato Regional Plan's rules relating to soil disturbance activities, and will include practical exercises in preparing an erosion and sediment control plan and site risk analysis.

Prerequisite to this workshop: Participants must have previously attended the practical erosion and sediment control workshop or the previous two-day planning erosion and sediment control workshop.

Workshop dates, costs and registration

Attendance is limited to 20 people at each workshop. Please register by filling out the appropriate workshop's online registration form - registration closes on Friday, 15 June 2012.

Practical erosion and sediment control

 Date:  Tuesday, 10 July 2012
Time: 8.15 am – 5 pm
Venue: Te Rapa Racecourse, Ken Browne Drive, Hamilton
Cost: $300 incl GST
Register for this workshop

Date:  Tuesday, 17 July 2012
Time:  8.15 am – 5 pm
Venue:  Te Rapa Racecourse, Ken Browne Drive, Hamilton
Cost: $300 inc GST
Register for this workshop

Planning erosion and sediment control

Date: Wednesday, 11 July 2012
Time: 8.15 am – 5 pm
Venue: Te Rapa Racecourse, Ken Browne Drive, Hamilton
Cost: $300 inc GST
Register for this workshop

Date: Wednesday, 18 July 2012
Time:  8.15 am – 5 pm
Venue:  Te Rapa Racecourse, Ken Browne Drive, Hamilton
Cost: $300 inc GST
Register for this workshop

Successful workshops during 2011

Over 60 attendees registered for 4 workshops held in 2011. We received excellent feedback from the attendees, and we will continue to improve and update the content and format of future workshops. Should you have any further feedback regarding the workshops, please feel free to contact us on 0800 800 401.

About the facilitator

Peter StevensPeter Stevens - PS Environmental Services Ltd

Peter has 10 years’ experience in erosion and sediment control and resource consents. Since establishing his company in 2006, Peter has worked with a range of clients including regional councils, developers and contractors. Construction projects he’s worked on include subdivisions, state highways, roads, tracks, cleanfills, forestry conversions, hydro-electric power schemes, wind farms, bridges, stream diversions and quarries.

Peter has extensive experience in erosion and sediment control plans, resource consent applications and compliance monitoring, and provides erosion and sediment control training and advice for organisations both in the private and public sectors.

Contact information

If you would like to know more about earthworks, email us or call us on 0800 800 401.

Useful links

The Waikato Regional Council works with care groups in the region to decrease soil erosion and increase water quality.

Footnotes

  1. Maori term for people of the land