Miracle wish: Water flowing from under home baffles
I’m waking four to five times a night . . . just getting angry, I don’t know what to do.
Ross Gosnell, resident
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 the city.
But while floodwaters have receded elsewhere in Auckland since, water has flowed fast from beneath his home for a week.
Spilling through gardens along Alfred St, it’s flooded garages and prompted the council to “yellowsticker” 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.
Members of the congregation are no longer allowed in and the carpark has become a refuge for bathing seagulls.
Gosnell said the Auckland Council, Watercare and even fire crews had visited his home but no one seemed to know where the water was coming from.
It’s been days since authorities last visited and he’s worried his home has been forgotten about.
“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 can have.
While his home is raised and hasn’t been flooded on its inside, he’s appealing for help because he says the situation is urgent.
The water appears to be flowing from under a corner of his outdoor basement.
He asked nearby fire teams to take a look when they were working on flood recovery last weekend.
They began pumping water away. While it reduced 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 tested the water. This showed some signs of fluoride, indicating it 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 to do 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 channels, such as an old lava flow, and resurfacing below his home.
Auckland Emergency Management (AEM) said at its morning briefing yesterday natural springs had reactivated in parts of the city, 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.
Water naturally seeps into the ground and flows towards the coast.
However, this can be forced to the surface in areas where higher premeability and lower permeability soils meet.
AEM said it expected the flow from these springs to slow in 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 trace where it was coming from.
He said the water flowing from his basement had damaged all the possessions he kept there.
But more worrying are 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 had “yellowstickered” his house, Gosnell has had an electrician visit to check the circuits and arrange them safely to enable Gosnell’s partner to reopen her dog-grooming business at the premises.
Neighbours also continue to visit Gosnell’s house, following the course of the fast-flowing water up the street looking for its source.
Pastor Leota Fiaalii is also suffering from the stress of watching his Christ Life church spend days on the brink of flooding.
The water is yet to spill into the church and cause damage, but Fiaalii is calling for urgent help from authorities.
“The water is about 2-3 inches from the floor level of the church,” Fiaalii said.
“Ever since last Friday, we figured it would only last a couple of days.
“But now looking at the continuous flow, it’ll be a long-term problem unless we find a solution.”
Fiaalii said this weekend’s church service would now be held online.
Fiaalii said the church had never flooded in the past 20 years. He hopes it doesn’t this time either.
“We keep praying maybe a miracle will happen,” he said.
Local Ross Gosnell views flooding at Christ Life Assembly of God Onehunga, Alfred St.