How various levels of flooding would affect your property. PHOTO/FILE
The people in charge of coming up with ways of protecting Masterton from big floods are opting for widening of river channels and increasing stopbanks at the cost of about $8 million instead of wider measures that could have cost $30 million.
Te Kauru Upper Ruamahanga Floodplain Management Plan was last week endorsed by the Greater Wellington Regional Council subcommittee in charge of it and there will be information in public places about the plan.
People can go to Masterton Farmers’ Market at Farrier’s carpark next Saturday in the morning or a drop-in session at the Masterton Club from 1pm to 4pm or the car boot sale on Sunday.
The subcommittee is dealing with mitigating floods that have a 1 per cent chance of happening any year, also known as one-in-one-hundred years floods, and it has rejected measures like major upstream storage.
It’s keen on options including wetlands in the rural reaches of the Waipoua River.
The committee says it’s approaching flood mitigation in a sustainable and economical way.
Stage one, which includes gathering more data and considering detailed alignments for potential stopbank improvements, will cost $350,000.
Stage two, covering the second to fifth year of the plan, will cost $8m and include stopbanks and improved channel capacity to help stop flooding in areas including Oxford St.
The report mentions land purchases but not in detail.
As a long term elderly resident of Wrigley Street I am concerned about your report of the fact of there having been
“ mention of land purchases “.
This begs my question about Wrigley St , as it has been deemed as “Being on a flood plane “, in a prior report from Wellington Council.
Thank you for your attention .
Selah Weingott
(for her mother )
Shirley Lowe