Emergency works on river
Debate is simmering about the long-term management of the Rangitı¯kei River, with as much as $500,000 possibly required to prevent it cutting perilously close to a stopbank.
But that work would only patch up what has become the hardest river to manage in the wider Manawatu¯ .
Horizons Regional Council’s catchment operations committee voted yesterday to put $300,000 towards emergency works on the Rangitı¯kei River.
River management group manager Ramon Strong told the committee officials would invoke powers under the Resource Management Act to get the work done sooner.
‘‘But how do we balance the need for flood control and agriculture with river health?’’ Dr Ian Fuller
The river, particularly a section downstream from Bulls, had suffered severely during the past few winters.
It currently travels in a series of S-bends south of Bulls, but prolonged high flow and flooding had pushed silt on to a section of land with lots of vegetation.
That had helped steer the river to the right of that section of land.
Although the full flow of the river was not yet to the right of that land, if it did happen, it would flow hard against the stopbank, he said.
That would not only cause various environmental problems, but also compromise the stopbank.
‘‘We have been keeping an eye on this part of the river for some time. High flows and poor ground conditions have limited our ability to intervene until now.’’
The $300,000 was extra expenditure, but the figure could climb to $500,000, he said.
Before Strong spoke, the committee heard from Dr Ian Fuller, a Massey University associate professor in physical geography, about research he had done creating a river character index.
He said river management had often resulted in river channels being narrowed, thereby dramatically changing their ecology.
‘‘We have developed flood plains, bridges, and the like.
‘‘But how do we balance the need for flood control and agriculture with river health?’’
Councillor Rachel Keedwell said the issue of what to do in the long term was coming up.
‘‘We’re being asked to possibly spend $500,000 this year, but almost every year we have something like this happening.
‘‘The cost of realigning the river is becoming astronomically large. If we take a bigger picture look at this, we could figure out what kind of conversation we need to have with the community.’’