Flood-hit town gives overwhelming support to $10m flood protection scheme
Thursday, 16 September 2021
Flood-hit Westport will get a new $10 million flood protection scheme after 71 per cent of those who will pay for it gave their support.
At a meeting on Thursday, West Coast Regional councillors voted unanimously to build flood walls and stopbanks around Westport to protect it from the Buller and Orowaiti rivers.
The $10.2m project will also include flood protection around Orowaiti Lagoon and Snodgrass Rd, which has been flooded twice in three years.
Westport was inundated with floods on July 17 and 18 that forced more than 2000 of its 4500-odd residents to evacuate their homes.
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* Westport needs flood protection scheme, regional council chair says
* Westport's 'sleeping giant' - a town with a century to move away from the Buller River
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A state of emergency lasted three weeks, while 70 homes were red-stickered and 393 were yellow-stickered, forcing residents to stay away from homes that were unsafe.
Most of the submissions from those in the rating district (182 or 71 per cent of Westport ratepayers) supported the construction of an extensive stopbank and flood wall scheme. Eleven per cent wanted to spend $3.4m on partial stop banks, and 14 per cent wanted neither option. Three per cent supported the Buller District Council’s submission asking the regional council to gather more data and consult the community again.
The $10m option meant Westport ratepayers would have to pay $77.78 a year for 25 years for every $100,000 of capital value they had.
Regional council acting chief executive Heather Mabin said the cost would be reduced though thanks to a donation from Buller Electricity.
The company had pledged $100,000 every year for the period of the 25-year loan.
Councillor Laura Coll said the community’s response showed they wanted the council to act after decades of consultation, expert advice and working groups.
“This is a hard job, if it wasn’t a hard job it would have already been done … we have heard loud and clear that we have a mandate to progress.”
She said the council should consider the potential adverse impacts on ratepayers upstream of the planned new infrastructure, including the possibility of water being pushed into places it would not have gone if the flood walls were not there.
Councillors also unanimously voted to expand the Hokitika and Greymouth rating districts, so more ratepayers would pay for river flood protection.
Several councillors suggested everyone on the Coast should pay for hazard protection.
Cr Brett Cummings said “the team of 35,000” could all pay.
“It spreads the load a bit and everyone benefits.”
However, using rating districts offered an incentive for people to move away from hazards if it became too expensive to live there, he said.
Cr Peter Ewan suggested all Coasters should pay an environmental hazard levy to cover river and sea protection.
Chairman Allan Birchfield said 85 per cent of West Coast land was managed by the Department of Conservation (DOC) and the region had only a small rating base.
“Our rating districts are now dealing with debris coming down our rivers from the DOC estate and it’s costing the average ratepayer to deal with that.
“There really should be recognition from the Government and a bit more support, financial support to solve that problem.”
The council’s long-term plan for 2021-31 includes a general rates increase of 30 per cent in the first year, then 10 per cent each year for the next two years.