Flood repairs expected to cost district council $1.5m

Flooding on State Highway 1 between Maheno and Oamaru late last month. PHOTO: REBECCA RYAN
Flooding on State Highway 1 between Maheno and Oamaru late last month. PHOTO: REBECCA RYAN
The Waitaki District Council expects the cost of recent flooding damage to reach $1.5million.

Roading manager Mike Harrison confirmed this week the council had already spent $500,000 on its recovery from the flooding, which started on July 19 in the Omarama area. The following week the rest of the district was hit with flooding, which closed State Highway 1 from Oamaru to Dunedin.

Last weekend, more rain flooded parts of Ahuriri again.

Several roads throughout the district sustained significant damage from the prolonged event and several were still closed, including Haven St in Moeraki, which was closed on Monday because of a "reactivated old" slip.

Backyards Rd was closed after being "heavily affected" by the rain and Mr Harrison hoped to have it reopened at "some level" soon.

The worst damage to roads was in Ahuriri, but it was widespread across the district and contractors were still finding the "odd little slip and slump", he said.

Repair work was under way and Mr Harrison understood the community was frustrated about the damage and lengthy repair times.

"They are feeling the pain. They’re asking questions about when is it going to end," he said.

The council roading team and contractors were working as quickly as possible to complete repairs.

There was also an investigation of the stormwater system in Otematata to determine why it continued to contribute to flooding.

It was "not obvious" what was causing it, and there were questions about whether it was at capacity, something was missing or there was a blockage.