Plea for stormwater fix in rural town
A Cheltenham resident has made an impassioned plea for an urgent review of stormwater lines in the town.
Kim Tennant has taken her concerns to the Manawatu District Council in a bid to rectify flooding affecting a section of houses in the village.
Blocked pipes surrounding her house on Cheltenham Hunterville Rd has caused surface flooding for about two years, she said.
‘‘When it rains heavily what is supposed to be a flowerbed fills up with water and takes a long time to go away.
‘‘Half my grass is flooded on the side of the house.’’
Tennant hired a plumber to assess the storm water system. He said the root of the issue was not with Tennant’s pipes, but the stormwater pipes the home system discharge to.
The pipes surrounding the house are completely blocked with ‘‘mud stuff’’, she said.
Following a Cheltenham Community Committee meeting, Tennant was interested to learn other residents in the area were experiencing similar issues.
A visit to the council proved unsuccessful as no records of the stormwater lines running in Cheltenham could be found, she said.
Tennant has urged the council to consider conducting a survey
‘‘When it rains heavily what is supposed to be a flowerbed fills up with water. ’’ Kim Tennant
on the town’s stormwater pipes. Manawatu mayor Helen Worboys said the council’s operations team would look at her submission and discuss potential further action.
Councillor Alison Short noted the town has had flooding issues dating back several years. She wants to see a review of stormwater in all small rural settlements after several submissions.
‘‘In 2015 Cheltenham had some of the worst rainfall and the community actually got out at midnight to clear the drains.’’
Committee chairman Keith Robertson said the village had a number of open drainage ditches, which did not appear to direct excess water anywhere.
After heavier downpours some parts of the village failed to dry, he said.
‘‘It’s very hard to find a natural water path out of the village. It has been a long-standing problem.
‘‘Where the issue is the road drops 300 millimetres. That is the lowest point of the village. With climate change we seem to be getting a bigger amount of rain in a shorter space of time.’’
He wanted to see a survey done on the drainage system and a plan formulated to alleviate the problem.