Rural Waimakariri residents want action to resolve ongoing flooding issues.
Swannanoa resident Mark Beckett said his neighbours in Browns Road had been ‘‘fighting with the council’’ for several years over flooding which he believed was due to an ‘‘illegal diversion of a natural watercourse’’.
‘‘This diversion is resulting in water flowing down North Eyre Road and is affecting residents at 611 and 621 North Eyre Rd.
"Unfortunately there has been little or no maintenance of the flow paths and there seems to be no design code for entranceways
that cross natural water flow paths, which is adding to or in some cases causing these issues.
‘‘It's not fair to the affected property owners and while the council might like to blame global warming, locals with a history here will tell you of high water flows as far back as 1945.’’
Waimakariri District Council utilities and roading manager Gerard Cleary said the area in question experienced flooding issues during large rainfall events.
‘‘The water ways through the Browns Road and North Eyre Road area are naturally occurring undercurrent channels that can flow for
extended periods of time following large rainfall events.
"There have been flooding issues reported in these areas in the past as a result of large rainfall events, including the 2008 and 2014 events.’’
Mr Beckett had lodged a service request and council staff would be following up, Mr Cleary said.
The council had been aware of a water way running through 843 North Eyre Road, which had been diverted in the past.
He planned to follow up with Environment Canterbury to check if the works required consent.
Mr Cleary said while there had been major rain events in the past, climate change was having an impact.
‘‘As with all flooding issues, climate change will have an impact over time. We have experienced extremely high rainfall over the past year, particularly during the month of July.
‘‘Rainfall records do show significant periods of high rainfall have become regular during the past 10 years compared to the preceding
decade.
"It is anticipated that climate change will have an increasing impact in the future.’’
- By David Hill
Local Democracy Reporter
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