Heavy rain threatens further flooding
Waikato towns are preparing for more bad weather as another low begins to move across the country.
More heavy rain is predicted to reach the region tonight with ‘‘already saturated’’ catchments – particularly in Coromandel and Bay of Plenty – to bare the brunt of it.
That combined with king tides and large swells in low-lying areas could lead to further surface flooding and beach erosion, Thames Coromandel Civil defence controller Gary Towler said.
This will likely disrupt clean-up work that isn’t obstructing main roads or access ways across the region.
‘‘Both our State Highway network and the local road still have a lot of debris on them that are still getting cleared by our respected contractors,’’ Towler said.
‘‘But the issue we are facing at the moment is that on Thursday/ Friday we’ve got a king tide which means waves are going to be 300ml higher than normal.
That combined with a lot of rain in the low-lying areas means ‘‘there’s likely to be surface flooding again’’.
‘‘We are just preparing for that at the moment, but it’s just our winter on the Coromandel. People are very resilient, and we are just getting on with it.’’
He said contractors are still working on removing the large slip on State Highway 25 near Wharekaho, north of Whitianga, that has blocked the road for almost two days.
‘‘It’s a very big slip, it’s oozy and moving a bit so with a bit of luck the road will be open soon, but we’re just not sure.’’
NIWA meteorologist Ben Noll said heavy rain is predicted to approach Waikato and Bay of Plenty today before tracking southeast tomorrow.
It won’t be as torrential as the levels
seen on Tuesday, but could lead to further surface flooding around the region, he said.
‘‘The rainfall will only be between the 20-40mm range, but that added with a wetter than normal start to the month, will give rivers already running high a bit of a bump.
‘‘Blustery’’ winds will also be a concern along the coast.
Spots particularly around eastern Coromandel would likely see gales in the 60-80kph range.
He said it’s uncertain if this coupled with the king tides would have any significant impacts, but ‘‘certainly the sea will be in a state of unrest’’.
More heavy rain, however, could create further problems for residents in Huntly, Ngāruawāhia, Taupiri and Horotiu.
Excessive rain over the last two weeks had stirred up sediment near intakes creating production challenges at Te Kauwhata, Ngāruawāhia, and Huntly water treatment plants.
That combined with a failed pump in Ngāruawāhia on Saturday – that staff got running again on Sunday – have created low storage levels, a Waikato District Council spokesperson said.
Residents in Huntly, Ngāruawāhia, Taupiri and Horotiu were asked to conserve water until Monday, but that has since been extended to Friday.
‘‘We monitor plants on a 24-hour basis and will be reviewing our process and storm preparation following this event to identify improvements.
‘‘There will always be an element of risk.
‘‘What we can do is continue to review and make incremental improvements to our process practices to minimise the impact of poor raw water quality.’’
The good news however is that that condition will clear up by Saturday, Noll said.
‘‘The weather will be fine from Saturday until Monday and even maybe Tuesday.’’