Emergency Works Underway To Relieve Flooding Rivers

For immediate release: 15 August 2010 – 10.30 am update

Work is underway to open Whakatāne River’s overflow area at the river mouth so that more flood waters can escape, and emergency repairs are taking place on a canal to the west of the town.

Regional Council Flood Duty Manager Graeme O’Rourke said businesses on Whakatāne wharf had been given warnings as the river reached the wharf level, and Whakatāne District Council had a digger lowering the overflow area on the spit - in difficult conditions.

The overflow area is a low-lying dune designed so that the river can overtop it and relieve floodwaters from the Whakatāne River.

Emergency stopbank repairs are underway on the Te Rahu stopbank (left bank) to the west of Whakatāne town. The response is now being handled by the local civil defence centre.

Stop logs were installed on the Whakatāne River, and also in the Te Rahu and Waioho Canals. High tide is expected around 11:00hrs.

MetService has advised that the heavy rain warning for the Bay of Plenty has now been lifted, although 10 to 20mm could accumulate in some places until late morning

Rainfall has eased across the region, with totals in the previous 48 hours as follows:

Waimana at Ranger Station 339mm Waioeka at Cableway 256mm Tutaetoko (Otara Catchment) 242mm Whakatāne at Huiteiki 199mm

The Upper Rangitāiki Catchment rainfall measured between 74 and 129 mm and the Rangitāiki Plains recorded up to 160mm.

Trust Power responded well by lowering Matahina lake levels with increased spilling as per earlier request to a total generation and spilling 300 m3/s.

The Otara, Waioeka, and Waimana Rivers had passed their second warning levels, but are now receding. The Whakatāne River flow reached 2200m3/s, which is approximately a 30-year return period flow and is still of concern.

The operation crews are out monitoring pumps and stopbanks and responding to calls as needed.

There are a number of road closures around the region, including Rewatu, Paroa, and roads to Opotiki.

Mr O’Rourke said to expect surface floodwater on low-lying rural land for some days until the drainage systems can remove the excess water.

The next update will be early afternoon.

More information on road closures is available on the NZ Transport Agency’s website at http://nzta.govt.nz/traffic/current-conditions/highway-info/road/7873/north-island.html

For updated information, visit Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s website at www.envbop.govt.nz and click on the live monitoring link to see updates of river and rainfall levels around the region.

ENDS

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