The floodwalls adjacent to College Road, Edgecumbe, are getting upgraded, with construction set to start in late November / early December this year.

This section of floodwalls is the final stage of Bay of Plenty Regional Council Toi Moana’s work to upgrade floodwalls downstream of the Edgecumbe College breach site, as part of the Rangitāiki River Floodwalls project.

This project was prompted by the discovery of seepage (the slow escape of water through spongey earth) at three floodwall sites along the Rangitāiki River (Greig Road, Thornton School and College Road) and is part of Regional Council’s ongoing work to upgrade flood defences around the rohe.

With the Grieg Road and Thornton School floodwall upgrades complete, work will now begin on the College Road floodwalls. Construction is expected to begin late November / early December 2022 and is scheduled to be completed by April / May 2023.

Regional Council Project Manager Mark Werpachowski says upgrading the floodwalls is an important part of the overall defences on the Rangitāiki River, which will help minimise and manage the risk to the community.

“With the increased likelihood of more frequent, heavy rain events, Regional Council is continually investing in and innovating our flood defences across the rohe.

“These new floodwalls will form part of a wider network of recently upgraded flood protection defences along the Rangitāiki River, including the Rangitāiki Floodway and Spillway development and future work in the lower catchment.”

The new College Road flood defences are built by driving sheet piles (large sections of sheet steel with interlocking edges) into the ground and encasing them with a concrete capping. This design will provide more effective seepage control below ground.

While construction is underway, the existing floodwall will remain and continue to provide the current level of flood protection. This will be deconstructed in stages as the new wall is installed.

There will be some disturbance while construction is happening. The Rangitāiki River walkway will be closed and a detour along College Road will be put in place. Edgecumbe residents may also experience low-level construction noise, however works will be restricted to regular working hours (approx. 7am to 5pm weekdays only).

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