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Dust Suppression

Sealing the road

If you live on a gravel road and dust is an issue, you can apply to have a 100 metre section of road outside your house sealed. You will need to pay 50% of the cost. We pay the other 50% and cover ongoing maintenance costs, including cyclic resealing.

To apply for dust suppression sealing, please go to our Do It Online portal.

Eligibility criteria

The following criteria must be met:

  • House must be occupied
  • House must be within 100m (as the crow flies) of the road
  • The house must have been built before 1 October 2020

Prioritisation of applications

Applications will be prioritised should the number of sites to be sealed exceed the annual budget allocation for this work.

Prioritisation will be based on:

  • Road traffic volumes as recorded on our RAMM database
  • Traffic speed
  • Temporary treatment permit history
  • Evidence of dust-related ill health
  • Water supply contamination
  • Proximity to the unsealed road
  • Prevailing wind direction
  • Other relevant factors
Dust on a gravel road

Other dust suppression options

If you want to apply used oil to a gravel road you will need a resource consent from Environment Southland. You will also need a permit from us.

You can use dust suppressants approved under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HASNO) Act 1996 without a permit from Environment Southland, but you will still need one from us.

In Southland, the only HASNO-approved product available is Road Dust Control. The company EnviroSouth (2015) Limited is the sole distributor of this product in Southland.

Apply to put dust suppressant on your road through our Do It Online portal. Once you get your permit, please read the conditions below before applying dust suppressant.

Important tips for applying dust suppressant

Road conditions

  • Suppressant is to be sprayed only when the road is well formed and without potholes.
  • The optimum time to apply suppressant is just after the grader has been, when the road is well shaped and still has a high crown. Details of when your road is to be graded can be obtained from the Council.

Gravel / seal margin

  • Stop application of the suppressant a minimum of 5m from the permitted length to provide a transitional area. This is to prevent suppressant being tracked onto the sealed surface.

Application rates and spraying control

  • Please ensure suppressant application is well controlled and evenly spread, and that any surplus does not run into drainage channels or water courses.
  • Follow manufacturer's specifications to ensure correct application rate. If a product is sprayed too thickly it is likely to case ponding and splash onto vehicles.
  • Be mindful of previous applications to avoid excess suppressant on the road.
  • Temporary traffic control, in accordance with a traffic management plan approved by the Council, shall be used during spraying.

Weather

  • Suppressant should not be applied if rain is forecast within 48 hours.

Insurances

  • The applicant is required to have public liability insurances to the minimum value of $1 million. Evidence of this insurance is required before any application is approved.
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