Urgent dredging work

Chris Rawson from Whakatāne District Council

The Whakatāne District Council is to undertake urgent dredging work in three locations in the Whakatāne Harbour between 18 and 29 September.

The dredging work will involve the barge “JKL” and tugboat “Tumeke” and will only be undertaken on weekdays between the hours of 7 am and 7 pm, and only on outgoing tides.

The areas to be dredged include:

— The berthage areas at the Otuawhaki Wharf and the channel close to the Whakatāne i-SITE
— The channel alongside the Yacht Club marina
— The extremities of the Opihi Spit on the western side of the Harbour entrance, where a build-up of sand has narrowed the channel to a point where it is creating safety issues for vessels entering and leaving the harbour.

Whakatāne District Council Capital Projects Manager Jim Finlay says that generally there should be minimal disruption to navigation. “The 50-metre rule will apply when the digger on the barge is working. If the tug is towing the barge, vessel operators are required to give way, given the slower operating speed of the tug. The Senior Maritime Officer and/or the tug operator will inform the Coast Guard by radio when movements which could affect other vessels are to occur.”

The timing of the work is designed to minimise impacts on whitebaiters and harbour users and has been approved by a Bay of Plenty Regional Council resource consent. Completion of the necessary works will be weather-dependent.