More torrential rain Wednesday morning brought more flooding to Auckland residents, with many saying they have had enough and want the Council to take accountability. Video / NZ Herald
Ross Gosnell’s Auckland home now sits on top of a river.
Water began flowing out from underneath his Onehunga rental on Alfred St last Friday as devastating floods hit across the city.
But whereas floodwaters have receded elsewhere in Auckland since then, the water has continued flowing fast from beneath Gosnell’s home for one week now.
Spilling through gardens along Alfred St, it’s flooded garages and prompted the council to “yellow-sticker” several homes - meaning they can’t be used until their electrics are deemed safe.
Down the road, the water has pooled into a lake around the Christ Life Assembly of God Church, putting the building on the brink of flooding for days now.
“I’m waking four to five times a night, I hear the flowing water below,” Gosnell said.
“I’m just getting angry, I don’t know what to do.”
For Gosnell, the strange flooding is an example of the unforeseen knock-on effects that dramatic weather events like last Friday’s can have.
While his home is raised and consequently hasn’t been flooded on its inside, he’s appealing for help because he says the situation is urgent.
Water is flowing fast from underneath the basement in Ross Gosnell's Onehunga home on Alfred St, and spilling down the street through backyards. Photo / Brett Phibbs
Auckland Council has put a restricted access notice on Gosnell's home. Photo / Brett Phibbs
The water appears to be flowing from under a corner of his outdoor basement.
He said he called nearby fire teams over the take a look when they were working on flood recovery last weekend.
They turned on a pump and began pumping water away.
While it did reduce the flooding a bit, as soon as the firefighters stopped the pumps the flowing water flooded the area again.
Gosnell said a Fulton Hogan worker then visited the property and tested the water.
This showed some signs of fluoride, indicating the water could be pipe water escaping, Gosnell said.
However, neither Gosnell nor his neighbours have lost water pressure through their pipes.
And when a Watercare worker came along later and did more tests, he said the water was natural, flowing up from a spring.
Gosnell said the council had advised him the water could be coming from somewhere like One Tree Hill and flowing through underground water channels, such as an old lava flow, and resurfacing below his Alfred St home.
Auckland Emergency Management (AEM) said during its morning briefing on Friday that several natural springs had reactivated in parts of Auckland and were partially flooding buildings.
“This has occurred because our groundwater levels are extremely high - one central Auckland monitoring site has recorded its highest-ever level, 2.5 metres higher than the typical highest level recorded in winter,” the AEM team said.
It said water naturally seeps into the ground and flows towards the coast.
However, this can be forced to the surface in areas where highly permeable and lower permeability soils meet.
AEM said it expected the flow from these springs to slow over the coming days and groundwater levels to fall.
In the meantime, it warned people to be careful around springs as land could erode and form sinkholes.
“If any springs occur in or near a building, look for signs of movement (cracks in floors or walls, windows or doors sticking) and report any concerns to council or get a chartered engineer to check it.”
However, Gosnell hoped for more help from authorities than simply waiting for groundwater to fall.
He asked if they couldn’t do more to try to divert the water, or potentially put a dye in it to try to trace where it was coming from.
Christ Life Assembly of God Onehunga members are praying for a miracle to avert flooding at their church. Photo / Brett Phibbs
Water that has turned the parking lot of an Onehunga church into a lake is flowing out from underneath Ross Gosnell's Onehunga home. Photo / Brett Phibbs
He said the water flowing from his basement had damaged all the possessions he kept there.
But more worrying is the basement and foundations of the house, which now sit in a pool of water and softening ground.
In addition to concerns about the structural integrity of the house, he worries about creeping mould, with a smell starting to come through the floor.
While the council has “yellow-stickered” his house, Gosnell has had an electrician visit to check the circuits and arrange them safely to enable Gosnell’s partner to reopen her successful dog grooming business from the premises.
Neighbours also continue to visit Gosnell’s house in the meantime, following the course of the fast-flowing water back up the street looking for its source.
One young couple are among those whose home has been yellow-stickered. Their garage can be seen from the street sitting in a pool of water.
