Proposals would worsen Heathcote floods—engineer

Press, 23 March 1988, Page 9

Proposals would worsen Heathcote floods—engineer

By

JANE DUNBAR

Flooding levels in the Heathcote River will worsen and some properties be damaged if the recommendations of a new report are adopted, says the chief I engineer (of the Christchurch Drainage Board, Mr Peter Hunt. Recommendations in a plan released by the Heathcote Catchment Planning Advisory Group would worsen the flood levels of the river, he said. ! The report is primarily concerned with ' preventing damage rather than reducing the river’s flood levels. It [ proposes, 'among other things, flood-reten-tion basins, the raising of houses, minor channel

Widening, and the publication bf flood-hazard maps. , The Drainage Board ! has [said it has reservations i about schemes which allow . flood levels to increase, 5* and favours a scheme which includes a small,: long-term reduction in. [ flood level. !: Two proposals put forward by the board are] : included in the report. J ! ' '( “These alternatives white achieving more ih ; ; terms-of flood-damage re-i i duction are considerably] ( more expensive and have! ! greater riverside impacts' than the group recom-J ' meridation,” says the report. ‘ i j. Mr Hunt said the main difference between the group's . recommendation

and board policy lay in .questions of acceptable standards of flood protection, economics,' and' how far the plan should : look ’.ahead. ; ](J, [ The board aimed to re-, lieve, not worsen, flooding, he said. ■ [i; i , An acceptance of the report would mean the present total amount of flood damage and j nuisance was acceptable, he 'said. jlj i .. ■ The board wa!s ,being |asked to accepts radical (reductions in standards of 'service aimed for,! and changes in its ||| policies along the Heathcote River. If the report’s recommendation went ahead,,, however, he did not expect the damage would be

severje. ' ,£j “There will be more damage, but it will be relatively m nor,” Mr Hunt said. Th j report will be considered by the Drainage Boarp and other local authorities, and will be the |. basis fori discussion between these groups. The advisory group was set up in to discuss flooding problems in the Heaticote River because Drai lage Board proposals had attracted a lot of crit cism froni the public and local authorities. The group! comprised technical officers of the Drainage Board, other local authorities, and the -Ministry of I Works and Development.j