Ōtautau flood protection work to start
Work will begin this week to enhance the flood protection for the Ōtautau community.
The critical flood protection work for Ōtautau covers 19 kilometres of stop bank from Ōtautau to Wreys Bush, and includes planned improvements of erosion control, stop bank reinstatement, and removing crack willow from the Ōtautau Stream.
Environment Southland catchment operations manager Randal Beal said the Ōtautau Stream stop banks are generally in good condition, but this work will mitigate identified flood risks and strengthen the community’s resilience to extreme flood events in the future.
“This project builds on our work to protect people, property, and critical infrastructure, such as roads and utilities, from the damaging impacts of extreme flooding,” he said.
The work includes installing 3,300 tonnes of rock to protect the stream edges and 1,000 tonnes of fill, ensuring long-term protection from erosion and reinstating the flood capacity of the Ōtautau Stream channel.
The Ōtautau flood resilience project is expected to be completed by autumn 2025.
Access to the stop bank will be restricted while the works are underway. Security fencing will be installed around the work site during construction to ensure public safety. The public should avoid the work area and machinery whilst operating.
As part of the project, the Southland District Council will be carrying out tree removal on Slaughterhouse Road and near the old tip site road. Following the tree removal, additional work on the stop banks may be required to maintain their stability.
This work is part of Environment Southland’s commitment to ensuring long-term flood protection and resilience in Ōtautau and across Murihiku Southland.
This work is the first of three projects that Environment Southland received $3.6 million in funding from central government’s Before the Deluge 2.0 programme. This funding is in addition to a local contribution from council for a further $2.4 million.
The three projects to receive central government funding in Southland are in the Ōreti ($3m) and Aparima ($300k) catchments and the Te Anau Basin ($300k). The Ōreti is the largest of the three projects.
The Ōtautau flood resilience project is budgeted for $500,000 in total – with $300,000 from central government and $200,000 from Environment Southland.
“By investing in flood protection infrastructure and working closely with local councils, we are proactively addressing the challenges of climate change and protecting our communities for the future,” Mr Beal said.
This latest round of Government funding follows a successful bid in 2020 for co-funding of climate resilience projects as part of the Government’s Covid economic recovery shovel ready package.
With that support, six Southland projects have been completed on the Waiau River, and in Gore, Mataura, Wyndham and Invercargill on the Waihōpai River and at the Stead Street Pump Station upgrade.
ENDS
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