With increased rainfall and weather events impacting the region, Bay of Plenty Regional Council is reminding landowners living near the region’s flood defences to refresh themselves of the rules.
The Flood Protection and Drainage Bylaws provide protection from damage and misuse to flood protection and drainage infrastructure assets (such as stopbanks, floodgates, drains and pump stations), which are managed by or under the control of Regional Council.
“Flood defences are the first line of defence when it comes to reducing the impact of significant flooding,” says rivers and drainage asset manager Kirsty Brown.
Kirsty says a common issue is stock overgrazing or pugging on stopbanks during periods of prolonged rainfall, as this can damage and weaken the stopbank.
This can create integrity risks for the stopbank through loss of grass cover – good grass cover is needed as it helps hold together the soil structure underneath. Loss of grass cover has been shown to be a contributing factor to stopbank failure in the past.”
Another issue is dumping rubbish on stopbanks or in drains, which can end up blocking the drain’s pump station and stop it from working effectively.
Under the bylaws, these are not permitted activity and landowners can be liable for any damage to the flood defences.
One of Regional Council’s core roles is to make sure our flood defences are in good condition and manages more than $440M of flood defence infrastructure on behalf of the community.
Find out more about flood protection in the region, include details of the Bylaws, on the Regional Council website: www.boprc.govt.nz/flood-defences
Credit: sunlive.co.nz
