Mayfield Mines

A Mine Subsidence and Flooding Problem in Newcastle

Mine Water Flow directly under Maitland Road Mayfield

Urgent stablization was required to secure the telegraph pole in front of our property at Maitland Road Mayfield NSW.

Mine water is flowing directly underneath the road, under the footpath, and then directly into our lower warehouse permanently flooding us.

Authorities have stated they believe its from old mine workings. Historic records confirm this – miners back in the 1880s were supposed to leave barriers of coal/soil between various mines, however, they failed to do so resulting in full connectivity of all the mines in the area. Also, mining was to have stopped before Maitland Road however records suggest that mines did go beneath the main arterial road.

Mine water and the deteriorating legacy mine network has caused damage to Maitland Road, the footpath, to the telegraph pole, and permanently flooding our building.

NSW Government, Mine Subsidence Advisory, Legacy Mines, Newcastle Council and other agencies have been made aware of the issues for over 14 years.

Even when sink holes (some 2-3 metres in diameter) open along Maitland Road it takes an incredible amount of time to get the problems solved. The last hole took more than 7 months for City of Newcastle to action the repair – letters from us to Newcastle Council including directly to the Lord Mayor and councillors, request from Mine Subsidence Advisory and request from Legacy Mines all failed for City of Newcastle to act. If was only when the local MP Tim Crakanthorp wrote to Newcastle Council that the hole was repaired.

Telegraph Pole Repair Street Level A

Telegraph Pole Repair Street Level A

 

Telegraph Pole Repair Street Level

Telegraph Pole Repair Street Level

 

Telegraph Pole Repair

Telegraph Pole Repair

 

Maitland Road Mayfield Subsidence

Subsidence issues have been reported to all authorities including Newcastle Council, Mine Subsidence, NSW Government, local MPs and councillors for well over 12 years – maybe more than 100pc of evidence sent to authorities.
Newcastle Council has written to us saying that the stormwater pipes are not causing our issues, but what has this got to do with stormwater issues? Other authorities have mentioned they are investigating (for years…) or they keep silent.
Here are today’s photos of subsidence along Maitland Road Mayfield.

 

Maitland Road Footpath Subsidence

Maitland Road Footpath Subsidence

 

Maitland Road Subsidence

Maitland Road Subsidence

How to Destroy a Business – NSW Government & City of Newcastle Council NSW

It started as “seepage” in our warehouse in 2008, which then becomes 20,000,000 litres per year. This building is permanently flooded. Water then starts spreading onto our neighbouring properties where in 2019 water starts “seeping” into our office.

After a little time, water was now running permanently through our office brick cavities, internal walls, through concrete slab and out of the wall facing Maitland Road.

Now, this building is permanently flooded. “Seepage” has starting with our neighbours. You know how this finishes…… The NSW Government and City of Newcastle have completely ignored this problem.

It is mine water that is flowing from abandoned mines (its taken us years to find this information due to the lack of support and secrecy of authorities). Mine Subsidence Advisory in their report rejected helping us.

Their inspector then said; “The seam outcrops below the subfloor likely carrying water from nearby abandoned workings below Maitland Road”

This is how NSW Government & City of Newcastle Council NSW destroy a business.

 

Mine Subsidence in Newcastle for Over 137 Years

Mining in Mayfield

Image from Professor Fityus – Ground Water Conditions 38-44 Maitland Road Mafield

 

I have used extensively reports from the Royal Commission on Collieries Report 1886 and Professor Fityus report titled “Report on Groundwater conditions at 38‐44 Maitland Rd Mayfield” commissioned by Legacy Mines and released to us on July 2020.

Both reports prove my theory that the problem has been spreading in Mayfield for some time. What I did not know, is that the authorities have known about the issues for over 137 years and kept this information from the public. That there has been systematic failure by authorities to act and will keep ignoring the problem indefinitely.

In my opinion, these reports prove that for 137+ years, the authorities have known that the mine network is interconnected, and, permanently flooded. Further;

#1.  Authorities know that the legacy mines in Mayfield are completely unstable due to;

  • various aquifers connected together due to mining practices.
  • legacy mines being collapsed during mining, others left with pillars “so thin as to be invisible”
  • no separation in many of the mines were adhered to resulting in mines have direct connectivity between them.
  • mining occurred “off the record” with miners taking extra meterage and not on official maps

#2. Subsidence has caused stormwater and water pipes to break and fill the mine, which then under pressure, permanently floods 38-44 Maitland Road, but also, explains why Mayfield is so wet. Further, mine grouting in the region as well as other events, has put water in the legacy mines under more pressure resulting in water rising to the surface.

#3. Authorities have withheld information from the public for all these events.

Unless the situation is addressed, mine subsidence damage, and continued flooding in the Mayfield, area will continue to spread.

Legacy Mine Maps in Mayfield Newcastle NSW Australia

Legacy Mine Maps in Mayfield Newcastle NSW are not available for public review and there is no online register of old abandoned mines listed on the NSW government website. Direction by government agents will address you to visit the below website;

https://www.nsw.gov.au/subsidence-advisory/districts

https://www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/spatialviewer/#/find-a-property/address

But the above will only give you information whether the property has been previously mined, or a mine district. Key information about the mine including the mine depth, span of the mine, year it was last mined, and the number of mine subsidence events in the area are not reported. Below is the current mine subsidence map for the Newcastle zone;

Newcastle Mine Subsidence Map NSW

Further information from the NSW government website shows;

The NSW Resources Regulator within the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment is the official holder of Mine Survey Plans in NSW.

Under clause 127(3) of the Work Health and Safety (Mines and Petroleum Sites) Regulation 2014, the Resources Regulator can only make a copy of a survey plan to a person in certain circumstances.

To find out more or make an application for copies of survey plans, please visit the NSW Resources Regulator website. Generally, these records are not available to the public.

Below are legacy mine maps that affect my properties in Mayfield, Tighes Hill and Carrington areas.

 

 

Maitland Road Legacy Mine Map Newcastle

Maitland Road Legacy Mine Map Newcastle

 

William Street Legacy Mine Map Newcastle

William Street Legacy Mine Map Newcastle

 

Elizabeth Street Legacy Mine Map Newcastle

Elizabeth Street Legacy Mine Map Newcastle

 

Tighes Hill Legacy Mine Map Newcastle

Tighes Hill Legacy Mine Map Newcastle

20 Million + Litres of Water Flow into Properties from Legacy Mines

For many years, water is running from under Maitland Road directly into our properties. Over time the problem has become worse, spreading to neighbouring properties as well as water now vertically coming out of concrete slabs, structural columns and more.

The NSW government together with the Newcastle Council are treating this as “seepage” and have informed us that it does not warrant any action by them. Internally, we have had a wall collapse, subsidence damage is throughout the building, Maitland Road has had subsidence/resurfacing, multiple sink holes in the curb at the front of the building.

 

Legacy Mines in Mayfield NSW – A Video Series

We have fallen into a rabbit hole of endless false promises and hopes in dealing with various government departments with regards to abandoned mines, now called, Legacy Mines.

Legacy mines are old mine workings that no owner can be found, and they then become the liability of the government. Then, its soley at the discretion of the NSW minister whether they fix any problems.

For us, its a facade, they can never fix anything because there is no budget to fix these old legacy mines – in 2019 (according to the NSW government website) they were managing 645 legacy mines, with a budget of $2.8million.

So what happens when these old mine workings join together and water flows through these mines permanently into our properties. What happens when Newcastle Council stormwater pipes and Hunter Water pipes break and this water flows into the mines and then into our properties. What happens when we have mine subsidence is constantly damaging our properties. After 14+ years, the answer is….. nothing.

Mayfield Mines is a video series about historical Legacy Mines in Mayfield.

Does the NSW government have a duty of care to manage Legacy Mines?