2019 data which includes the secret measurements done by the Quarry Management, some of which have been upsized acccording to our private home measurement values.
Click on Image, then Use Left and Right arrows to sequence through slides.
Click on Image, then Use Left and Right arrows to sequence through slides.
Summary of Known Facts:
1. Our statistician advises that the BCC data indicated a 3x misreporting error.- This was deliberately created by only publishing data from the much more distant Sussex St and Richer St locations, before 2012.
- Whilst totally ignoring their own Weighbridge Office considerably stronger measurements.
2. Our statistician also advises that the MCLR data indicates a further 2.6x ± 0.03 upsize parameter was measured over a 6 month period inside the closest home.
3. The Australian Seismic Research Centre advises that sympathetic building response is both common and highly damaging, plus a 10-level building should expect a 4x sympathetic vibration amplification upsize.
- The USA Bureau of Mines (USMB) standard advises that blast vibration "fatigue" is induced in buildings which have experienced high blast numbers.
- The USBM standard states that Fatigue reduces the ability of a building to resist further strong blast vibrations by as much as 50%.
- The MCLR has provided a private home Instantel Minimate Blast vibration monitor output, with the USBM limit reduced by half and which indicates USMB fatigue violation.
- If the fatigue-reduced USBM maximum lines were applied to all blast vibration levels, the result inside the MCLR homes should indicate a very number of level violations.
4. The Secret Quarry Blast vibrations are highly indicative of extremely damaging blast vibrations in the area closest to the private homes, plus in the adjacent Botanical Gardens.
5. The private home blast vibration monitoring done at the same address as the MCQ blast monitoring is highly indicative of a much stronger again damaging blast vibrations.
6. In the charts shown here, the MCLR have shown the secret MCQ blast vibrations, which have been upsized by the measured 2.6x internal home blast vibration amplification factor.
- This is highly indicative of what life would have been like in the private MCLR homes closest to the quarry before 2012.
- During most of this time the MCQ did not provide any notice of blasting to the MCLR.
7. On the charts, the MCLR have also shown value lines for the AS2187 (& QLD-TMR) historic maxumim, plus the QLD DES 9-of-10 and absolute maximums, which have been grossly dwarfed by the plotted MCQ data values on almost every chart.
8. The DES has examined this data and stated that all this data was invalid and they did not find any data corruption.
9. The DES has never provided a valid response to the MCLR concerning the professional EDO legal opinion, that monitoring inside private MCLR homes is a valid blasting license requirement.
- The DES has also never provided a valid response on the second EDO legal opinion which stated that the decibel noise levels as measured inside the homes, is also a valid blasting license requirement.
10. The MCLR believe that the BCC MCQ has grossly & repeatedly exceeded the terms of their blast license, whist rejecting all attempts to decrease or even discuss their extreme blasting strength.
Mt Coot-tha Local Residents (MCLR) Have Rights: They should be clearly informed of what strong blast vibrations were forced on and into their precious homes by the Brisbane City Council owned and operated Mt Coot-tha Quarry (MCQ) for 20 years.
- The MCQ state government Key Resource Area (KRA-42) has Zero Separation Zones to the MCLR homes.- The legacy MCQ blasting license has no blasting limit defined for every 10th blast.
- Continued strong blast vibrations over several decades in Asbestos-Fibro homes, will be causing a release of naked asbestos fibres into possible living areas.
- AS2187 plus the QLD TMR, defines special low-level historic buildings and monuments 2mm/sec maximum values - Cobb&Co historic site, Stuartholme, Toowong Cemetary.
The MCLR Whistle-Blower Action: The MCLR complained that the MCQ was only reporting blast vibrations from much further away locations (Sussex St and Richer St), whilst not doing any monitoring anywhere near the closest homes.
- The BCC Mt Coot-tha Quarry (MCQ) had grossly misrepresented their blast vibration reporting to the DES.- This allowed the MCQ to blast 3 times stronger than normally allowed, for more than 10 years, whilst still appearing to be within their license conditions.
- In addition to this, the transducer mounting was using the soil spike into compressable and aerated soil, which is non-compliant with AS2187.2, the DES Noise Monitoring Manual, the DES-EM2402V3 document, plus the Instantel Operations Manual and our RPEQ Engineer.
The Damaging False Monitoring: The MCLR were denied the right to know exactly what blast vibration levels were being forcably imposed upon their precious homes for more than 10 years.
- So far nobody in EHP/DES or BCC has ever agreed with this right, and have generally been unhelpful.- These levels are far in excess of the QLD DES State Maxumium values, as requested by the DES to the MCQ.
- The DES advises that considering this is a waste of departmental resources.
The Secret BCC MCQ Blasting Data: By doing their own research, the Mt Coot-tha Local Residents (MCLR) discovered that the quarry was conducting secret blast vibration monitoring.
- This data was regularly recorded at the Weighbridge Office, immediately opposite the closest homes and adjacent to the Botanical Gardens buildings and scientific equipment.- This is extremely important and highly indicative critical data, and was deliberately withheld from both the EHP/DES and the MCLR, until 3 RTI's forced the MCQ to reveal it.
Multiple RTI Applications: The MCLR created three separate Request for Information (RTI) applications, seeking the MCQ Measured Blast Vibration Data.
- From the first two requests no secret data was provided. On the third request some of the secret data was provided.- A fourth RTI to obtain all the data is now underway.
- The MCLR believe that this should have been provided on the first RTI, plus by grossly delaying the released data they have pushed their gross misrepresentation actions further into history.
Analysing the Secret BCC MCQ Data: For the first time ever, the MCLR were able to see what the MCQ always knew.
- The truth about the extreme blast vibrations, which were being regularly and forcably inflicted upon their homes for more than a decade, is now revealed.- These extreme blasting data appears to be highly indicative of gross and damaging misrepresented blast vibration misreporting.
- The MCLR believe that this constitutes gross data reporting corruption and a gross failure of the required "Duty of Care" towards the very unfortunate MCLR, for more than one decade.
- The MCLR also believe that the MCQ management would have clearly known the physical and mental damage that they were regularly inflicting on the closest MCLR Homes, plus the innocent residents living inside.
- The DES advises that considering this is a waste of departmental resources.
- The DES and the BCC totally refuses to discuss this matter any further with the MCLR at all, they have both "disengaged the MCLR" - so they do not have to talk to us anymore.
- The MCLR regard this as a massive cover-up and demand that their rights be respected.
Internal MCLR Home Blast Vibration Monitoring: The MCLR had to pay for and conduct their own internal home blast vibration monitoring because the DES said that this was invalid.
- The MCLR paid the EDO to review this requirement, who said that this was definitely required under the EPPR00447313 Schedule-F MCQ blasting license condtions.- They said that Schedule-F states that monitoring "in or on any noise sensitive place" is a clear requirement.
- The MCLR conducted their own monitoring "in or on a noise sensitive place" which showed that the blast vibrations were 2.6 times higher.
- The DES says that this is invalid and refuses to discuss this any further.
- The MCLR regard this also, as a massive cover-up and demand that their rights be respected.
Formal Complaint to QLD DES DG
Following on from discussions with the EDO and QLD Ombudsman, the Local Residents (MCLR) created a formal complaint to the DES Director General regarding the BCC Mt Coot-tha Quarry.
MCLR Mt Coot-tha Quarry Advisory Proposal
Generalised DES Letter to Residents
After the LR completed their series of expensive Internal Home Blast Vibrations, a posted letter arrived from DES Mr Karle (MKL).
Mr Karle claims that our measurements are invalid.
The MCLR claims that some Asbestos Fibre homes would be contaminated from long-term mechanical movement.