Retraining of Aorere River a big job
A plan of work currently being undertaken. Supplied: Tasman District Council.
Recovery work following the recent floods throughout the region will continue for some months; however, the majority of immediate concerns have been managed, says the Tasman District Council through its communications manager, Chris Choat.
The recent rock work and retraining of the Aorere River will be ongoing for some months, and the temporary engineering proved its worth within its first few days. An extra channel within the current course will be opened up on Thursday morning (13 January) at Rileys’ to further reduce the pressure and allow further rock work to occur.
The James Road Bridge remains a focus, with a number of options under exploration, from a ford in the river to a complete rebuild. The affected families have been receiving support and are in contact on a regular basis.
Council building inspectors have visited nearly all affected buildings in Golden Bay and, contrary to earlier reports, none have been condemned. Significantly, all were insured so repair works can be completed. A very small number have had temporary issues such as repairs required to water systems, but the majority are focused on cleaning and drying out the buildings.
While no sanitation issues currently exist, council advises all septic tank owners to have them checked in the near future.
Inspection of buildings in the Murchison area is ongoing but it appears that no buildings will need to be condemned.
A great deal of focus is now being placed on obtaining Central Government support for the necessary repairs to infrastructure such as roads and bridges. While this began from the day after the event, detailed requirements and costings are required and the council needs to be aware of all the communities’ needs.
Roading is the major concern in the Murchison area, with the Maruia Saddle Road remaining closed and the Matiri Road requiring major works.
Submitted by TDC
