State of emergency ends as recovery begins
Southland District mayor Rob Scott has moved the response to erosion at Bluecliffs to the next step, ending the state of emergency and signing a “transition to recovery” declaration.
Bluecliffs, on Southland’s south coast, is a small settlement of 18 properties built along a cliff that is being eaten away by the Waiau River. The river runs parallel to the back sections of the cribs and houses, and a gravel bar separates the river from the sea.
A local state of emergency was declared on February 8, when significant erosion put homes and an old community dump at risk of going into the sea.
During a transition to recovery phase, a recovery manager can direct and coordinate the use of personnel, material and other resources for recovery activities.
“The decision to take this step into the recovery phase provides a minimum of a 28-day period where Emergency Management Southland and the councils will continue to support the community,’’ Scott said.
“Support for the residents will continue in largely the same ways as it has over the state of emergency.”
The recovery manager will take a medium- to longer-term view to managing the erosion risk at Bluecliffs.
“We have progressed the two key pieces of work we set out to as part of this state of emergency, and we have a lot more information available to us,” Scott said.
“This puts us in a good position to develop solutions, alongside the community, that are focused on the longer term.’’
Two pieces of work were directed under the state of emergency. One was to attempt a bar opening to realign the Waiau River mouth, taking pressure off the land in front of the houses along Bluecliffs Beach Rd. The second was to remove the material at the old community dump site.
The attempt to open the bar took about two weeks, and struck several challenges. The opening was short-lived, with the sea swells pushing gravel back into the cut quickly after it was made.
On March 8, residents were asked to evacuate so the work at the dump site could begin. Reports of explosives and investigations confirming asbestos-laden material meant an exclusion zone of 1km was required around the dump.
Work to remove material has progressed well, with about 1100 tonnes removed over four days.
No explosives have been found to date. However, the team has removed a large amount of asbestos, which was separated and managed by specialists.
Scott confirmed that work would continue on both projects.
“We’re reviewing the assessment of work already done to open the bar at the Waiau River mouth, and the options available to us as next steps,” he said. “Once we’ve considered this, we'll be speaking with the community in the next week or so.
“The community’s ideas for the opening will be considered alongside this independent advice, and we’ll discuss the next steps with the community before moving forward.
“I want to thank the Bluecliffs community for their ongoing co-operation and patience throughout this period, and I encourage them to continue reaching out either to Emergency Management Southland or to other support services.”
Residents thinking about their preparedness for the ongoing issues should continue with their plans, Scott said.
“I know some residents had started planning to move homes to the front of their properties or away from the area entirely.
“This is a positive move, and they should continue to finalise these plans while the work to clear the dump material is under way.”
Environment Minister Penny Simmonds has previously announced a successful joint funding bid by the district council and Environment Southland for the removal of material at the Bluecliffs dump site, granting them $1.35 million towards planning and the remediation works.