Waipaoa River flood control

No upgrade to Waipaoa River flood control

Council has decided not to upgrade the Waipaoa River flood control scheme. An upgrade that included raising the stop banks to provide protection against a one-in-150-year flood was included in the 2009-2019 Ten Year Plan. It would cost about $24 million.

Recently an independent review by NIWA found that the existing flood protection is better than we thought. The banks will protect against a one-in-100-year flood. The protection level was thought to only protect against a flood the size of Cyclone Bola expected every 70 years. Council will still look at how the capacity of the existing scheme can be improved.

Documents and information

These are the background reports and presentation from the April 2011 public meetings.

Proposed Waipaoa River Flood Control Scheme Upgrade

Waipaoa River Flood Control Scheme Review

Proposal for Upper Catchment Works

Presentation by Peter Higgs, Council's engineering and works group manager