Urgent remediation on Hokitika stopbank: ‘Tomorrow would not be too soon’
From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
The Hokitika River stopbank behind Westland Milk Products has been repaired due to the flooding risk after work for a new Westland District Council stormwater outfall.
The work off Town Belt East was completed last week after the West Coast Regional Council asked for urgent remediation.
Regional council acting chairperson Peter Haddock said earlier this month the top of the bank was a worry due to work on the new stormwater outfall, and the river had already come within 400mm of topping the bank at that point in a flood, Haddock said.
The district council had since topped up the stopbank, he said.
"The council have requested the Westland District Council, who put the stormwater pipe through, to raise the level up to the existing level and that has been done."
The top of the wall on the old Kaniere Tram route had been "actually lower than it was originally" after the local stormwater work.
"It was a low spot."
The regional council was also concerned the rockwork installed around the new outfall pipes needed to be of a better standard, he said.
Westland was now looking into that and should be undertaking an improvement soon.
Meanwhile, the regional council meeting today was expected to discuss the wider plan to raise and strengthen the stopbank from the Hokitika Bridge up to the dairy factory.
Volumes and material available were currently being quantified ahead of a tender process.
"It's been given urgency," Haddock said.
In a letter to the Greymouth Star, veteran West Coast farmer Paul Berry has again called for action to ensure the riverbank upstream of the dairy factory is strengthened.
Berry said the issue was noted five months ago.
While the existing 400m of stopbank at the factory was rocked, a further 450m immediately upstream was "totally unprotected" with no rock armouring.
This was made worse by the bank being on an outside curve and was "very concerning".
Berry said he was alarmed to see the debate between the two councils about armouring the new stormwater culvert area.
"It seemed to me another Waiho event not if but when."
But of greater concern was that, as of last week, it could be two-and-a-half months before the existing 400m of stopbank and rock upgrade of dairy factory stopbank was put to tender by the regional council.
"In my opinion the upstream 450m needs immediate attention and protection not months away -- tomorrow would not be too soon," Berry said.
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
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62.2% Summer
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36.3% Winter
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1.5% Other - I'll share below
Worst Xmas ever?
There's a a lot of planning that goes into Christmas day and sometimes things just don't go to plan. But it can be a good thing - a family mishap or hilarious memory that you can laugh about in Christmases to come.
Whether you burnt the dinner or were stranded at an airport...
Share your Christmas mishaps below!
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