Stormwater networks improved
Villages prone to flooding will better cope with extreme weather as new stormwater networks get a boost in the heartland of the Manawatu¯ District. Manawatu¯ District Council has signed off on its Long Term Plan, and a big-ticket item is building new stormwater networks, worth $5.6 million, in Cheltenham, Tangimoana, Himatangi Beach and Halcombe. Impassioned pleas from village residents forced the council to undertake a district-wide stormwater review last year after flooding was becoming increasingly worse as blocked drains and idle ditches put residents’ homes in danger. The plan also involves improvements to the existing networks in Feilding, Sanson and Rongotea. Halcombe Community Committee chairwoman Rachel Lane said flooding problems had become increasingly worse. Drains had become less effective due to build-up and overgrowth, were flooding frequently and not even in heavy rain. . Halcombe’s drains were never categorised as a stormwater system and, therefore, suffered from a lack of maintenance. ‘‘Historically, there has been no stormwater rate for Halcombe ratepayers and, therefore, no real budget has been allocated to maintain the drain network.’’ Lane believed it had hampered further development in the village. ‘‘It obviously affects a number of houses. We do, however, believe that this issue will be easily alleviated with ... clear drains.’’ Manawatu¯ mayor Helen Worboys said the project would be funded by spreading the costs over a larger pool of residents, to make it affordable for everyone. The average rates for the next year are 4.8 per cent, she said, with 0.2 per cent of that required to fund the scheme. Cheltenham Community Committee member Kim Tennant said she took her concerns to the council last year after blocked pipes surrounding her house on Cheltenham Hunterville Rd caused surface flooding for about two years. Tennant hired a plumber to assess the mess, who said the root of the issue was not with her pipes, but the stormwater pipes the home system discharged to. The pipes surrounding the house were completely blocked with mud, she said. Flood protection received the second-highest number of submissions during the council’s Long Term Plan process, with 71 of the 654 submissions.