Consultation shows preference for repair of river stopbanks

July 22nd, 2011

The round of consultations held in April seeking public input into proposals to improve the protection levels of the Motueka River stopbanks show a strong preference for refurbishment over rebuilding or other new designs.

A report to the Tasman District Council's Engineering Services Committee by Sarah Downs, TDC's transportation planning officer, was tabled at Motueka Community Board's meeting last week, summarising the project to date and the results of the most recent round of community consultation, which received 53 submissions.

Whilst almost half of the submitters wished to see refurbishment, they did refer to the cost and how much it would add onto the rates for residents from Motueka. One-fifth of submitters discussed the need to investigate gravel extraction further, and improved river maintenance was considered important. This would cover the requirement to remove vegetation such as broom and willow from encroaching on the flood channel.

Other feedback included the need to open up old river channels, the impact on the bridge, and lining the existing banks with an impermeable layer of imported clay.

Leaving the stopbanks as they are was the second most preferred option (28%) and again the main reasoning for this was the cost of the other options and a belief that Council should look further into gravel extraction and better maintenance of the river and the catchment area. Not one submitter preferred a total rebuild, which has been seen as the council's preference.

Concerns were raised over cattle damage and sheep grazing and how this could be detrimental to the stopbanks. It was suggested that the banks should be fenced to prevent this from happening. Previous suggestions such as improving the river channel around Peach Island and better management of the upper catchment area were also put forward for consideration.

Council says the goal of the project is to investigate flood control options to provide an affordable scheme that meets the risks that the community is prepared to accept. Although the stopbanks have prevented major flooding in the past, they do not meet modern standards, Sarah Downs said in her report.

"It is known that the construction methods used did not provide adequate compaction of the central core of the banks. Recent investigations have shown that the engineering fitness of the stopbanks is such that they would not hold up under sustained or repeated flooding events."

Coming up, the Project Team will assess the agreed most practicable options and costs of those options. The Technical Report will be presented back to Council on August 4th, and will include options, costs, impacts and rating implications. It will also look into the impacts and benefits of gravel extraction.

A further newsletter will be produced and distributed to the community giving an overview of the assessment of the agreed practicable options. The Project Team will then hold public meetings to discuss the results. These Public Meetings will take place on:
Tuesday 23 August 2011 3.30 pm – 5.00 pm
Thursday 25 August 2011 10.30 am – 12 noon
Thursday 25 August 2011 7.00 pm – 8.30 pm
All meetings will be held at the Memorial Hall.

Following this, in September the council will be presented with the recommendation of the preferred option.

For the latest information in detail, view the TDC's web page on the project »

(Photos from TDC pamphlet)

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