1 April 2021
Media: Rotorua Daily Post
Topic: Flooding
Enquiry
I'm after any information you have available on flooding in Rotorua overnight if possible.
What areas were most affected?
Are there any roads/areas people should avoid today, that are being cleaned up?
I understand there were several cases of house flooding, do you have any information on these? What would your advice be to those affected?
Were any council buildings affected?
Obviously feel free to add any info you think is relevant.
Response
The following information and comment was provided:
Council's Customer Centre received one call about house flooding in Selwyn, Lynmore last night which we are looking into. The remainder of the 21 enquiries lodged relating to weather were about road surface flooding and land property flooding (as opposed to flooding in residential housing).
(For your information David, this information only reflects the jobs that Council lodged about reported or identified flooding, does not include multiple reports of the same site, and is not reflective of all areas that experienced localised surface flooding.)
Our Contractors and RLC operations staff attended the following sites last night:
Haynes Crescent
Kauri Street
Petrie Street
Amun Place
Old Taupo Rd
Ranolf Street
Devon Street and Old Taupo Rd Intersection
Devon Street and Lytton St Intersection
Moncur Street
Ford Road and Malfroy Road Intersection
Suzanne Street
Pandora Street
Selwyn Street
Sunset Road
Malfroy Rd and Westbrook Ave Intersection
Phobe Place
Old Taupo Rd (Passed onto Higgins as the State Highway contractor)
Malfroy Road
Devon Street West
Homedale Street
There are no particular roads/areas that people should avoid. Council contractors will be undertaking the following work today:
Inspecting unsealed roads following the heavy rain. These include Millar Road, Lichenstein Road, Rotoehu Road, Maleme Road, Galatos Road and Kaharoa Road.
Re-checking all road sites attended last night to make sure grates are clear and there is no debris on the road.
Removing sediment from Clayton Road that was washed off a driveway.
Checking the McDowell Street construction site to make sure it is safe and tidy.
We haven't had any reports of Council buildings being affected at this point.
Advice for residents
Last night's storm had a high volume of rainfall over a relatively short period of time. When this happens, sometimes the stormwater networks cannot pipe the water away fast enough which can cause water to pool until it can drain away.
Heavy storms can carry debris, silt, and leaves that can accumulate on top of drains, preventing water from draining. If residents see or have concerns about blocked drains on the road side, they should call Council so a job can be logged to clear the path for stormwater.
When there is surface flooding on roads, people should drive slowly to stop water being displaced from the road onto properties, and for the safety of themselves and others.
Comment from Stavros Michael:
We had about 45mm of rain in one-and-a-half hours so it was significant intensity over a short period of time.
That put considerable pressure on wastewater pump stations but there were no overflows.
Our contractors have been proactively checking areas and clearing debris and this will continue throughout today.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Media: Te Karere
Topic: Ngapuna wastewater pump station repairs
Enquiry
*NOTE: this enquiry followed on from Te Karere's enquiry yesterday relating to issues with the main eastside wastewater pump
Reporter requested an interview as follow-up to yesterday's enquiry and comments they had received from locals in Ngapuna.
Reporter indicated the questions "would be around discussions with local mana whenua about the removal of the waste water treatment plant in Ngapuna.
"Ngaire Hona and Tamara Mutu say there have been multiple attempts to talk to council since the 1990s to remove the plant but no progress has been made. They say sewage problems in the area have been the cause of respiratory issues and they're afraid of potential leaking into the lake and their geothermal streams."
Response
Infrastructure GM Stavros Michael was not available for interview within the timeframe provided but provided the following comment:
"We have for several years been working with iwi to find solutions for challenges we have relating to treated wastewater discharge with the forest spray system (that was put in place in the late 1980s) becoming unsustainable and no longer as effective as it should be.
In 2014 a steering committee that included iwi and hapu representatives was formed to consider options and ultimately put forward a preferred option for discharge and upgrading the wastewater treatment plant. However, there was not unanimous support for the discharge option from the steering committee and there was significant opposition within the wider community, so we continued to work with iwi and that resulted, last August, in the signing of a kawenata by Council, Te Arawa Lakes Trust and forest owners CNI with the three parties committing to continuing to work together to find a suitable long-term solution for our community with regard to discharge of treated wastewater.
The wastewater treatment plant sits on land gifted by Ngati Whakaue for the establishment of the township. The site has been used for sewerage purposes since 1891, and the current treatment plant was established in 1973, with several major upgrades since then.
Some hapū members have from time to time asked that we move the wastewater treatment plant from its current site. We acknowledge their concern and continuously look for ways to improve our systems to minimise and avoid any impact on neighbours.
Moving it would be prohibitive for a number of reasons including a lack of viable alternatives, operational practicalities in redesigning a reticulation system built over many generations and very high cost - it would cost at least $450m (based on current network replacement costs) as it would require constructing an entire new plant, wastewater piping network (currently about 500km of pipes) and pumping systems. The plant services most of our district.
Protection of our lakes and the wellbeing of residents is an absolute priority for Council and various upgrades to the treatment plant over the years, along with the ongoing progressive reticulation of lakes communities, are all part of our ongoing efforts to protect our environment and our people.
We are proposing investments totalling $424m into infrastructure across the next 10 years which includes proposed investment of $248m into stormwater and sewage infrastructure to ensure stable, reliable and safe networks that cater to future demand, are resilient to the effects of climate change and emergencies, and are environmentally sustainable.
Wastewater system renewals and the proposed treatment plant upgrade will both include increased capacity to cater for growth and for the increasing number and intensity of adverse weather events which impact our wastewater system."
*The reporter was also provided with links on Let's Talk/Korero Mai to detailed information relating to the kawenata and the proposed wastewater treatment plant upgrade
________________________________________________________________________________________
Media: NZME (Rotorua Daily Post and BOP Times)
Topic: Latest Westpac Regional Economic Confidence report
Enquiry
The latest Westpac Regional Economic Confidence report[View the report HERE] shows:
"Confidence in this region's economic prospects dropped in the March quarter but remains positive with a net 7% of households expecting their economy to improve over the coming year. The drop in confidence is likely to reflect labour shortages in the kiwifruit industry. The proposed closure of the paper and packaging manufacturer, Whakatāne Mill, which has since been confirmed for the end of June, will also have dampened spirits. That said, a red-hot housing market, which continues to see strong sales volumes and escalating prices, coupled with strong export incomes from forestry and horticulture will have provided some cause for cheer."
Please may I have the Mayor's response to the above findings? I have attached the report for your reference.
Response
The reporter was informed that the mayor was tied up with existing commitments today and indicated she would not have the opportunity to read and consider the report and provide comment on this occasion.
The reporter was referred to Rotorua Economic Development to provide comment and local insight.