Feedback from Workshop Three - Saturday 22nd February 2014 (Morning Session)

Workshop Three – Saturday 22^nd February 2014: Facilitated by Trish Coates (Morning Session)

Workshop participants were each invited to talk about their experience of flooding at Waihi Beach.

Dave – Has rental properties at Beach Road.  Said that he had experienced ½ metre of flooding last time there was an event.  Dave was not significantly affected but did have to make an insurance claim.  Thinks that Council should ‘just get on and get it done’.  In Dave’s view there is too much consultation.  It’s about getting the best bang for your buck.  He had heard that a golf course might be going in which may help resolve the issue.  Dave again reiterated that there was too much consultation.

Murray – had concern over damage to his property on 2 Mile Creek.  Flooding will affect his ability
to build on the site.  He thinks there needs to be some work done on the banks because of the significant amount of erosion.  He just wants it fixed.  Council should just get on to it.  It is a community problem.

Nicky – somewhere along the line we need to draw a line and Council just needs to get on and deal with the problem.  It has taken too long.

Wayne – from Shaw Road. 
Wayne spoke about some remediation that was done a while back.  He too just wants Council to complete the
work (i.e. maintenance on the drains not done often enough).  He spoke about how often the drains were full of sand.  Always cleaned after the storm but not before.

Michelle – from the Bowentown end of Seaforth Road.  Michelle has been a resident for 2 years.  She says the drains just aren’t coping with the water.  She has looked at getting some private work done but it is just too expensive.  Michelle knew there was  a tidal problem when she purchased but now has the issue of flooding on her property from her neighbours properties.  The drain needs maintenance.  Service requests to the Council don’t seem to be effective.  We live with it.

Kevin and Laurell – from the south end of Shaw Road.  Neighbours of Wayne (see above).  They are disappointed that they have been classified as being in a flood area.  Some attention needs to be given to concreting the drains.  Maintenance needs more attention.  Higher ground neighbours need to take more responsibility for their drains/cesspits that flood into our property.  Cesspits can’t cope with heavy downpours.  Get backwash when cesspits are full. Perhaps raise the height of the footpaths? 

John – from Walnutt Ave since 1997 but visiting since 1957.  John’s grandparents owned a holiday home in Waihi Beach.  It always used to flood to mid calf height but John thinks it is worse now because of too
much development (it has gotten out of hand).  For the first 15 years John never had any problems but in the last 3 to 4 years has had lots of flooding because of a particular development.  John thinks Council has made the wrong decision diverting water, but you can’t stop all backwash and the effects of high tides.  The first flood was 470mm and the second, 250mm.  John feels stormwater should never have been redirected to the northern end.  However he appreciates Council’s proactive approach so far.  John feels that Council will have to do something in the near future (not 5 to 10 years).  If rates have to go up by $500 a year we would be happy to pay an extra $10 per week.  John does feel sorry for the Council – people don’t want to help themselves and put their hands in their pockets. 

Terry & Kaye – from Walnutt Ave.  Terry and Kaye purchased their property 3 years ago.  They knew via a LIM report that their property was in a floodable zone.  They felt they had done good due diligence and accepted that they would experience a bit of surface flooding.  However there have been 2 major floods into the house and fortunately insurance has paid for this.  They remain concerned about the disintegrating kerb and channel outside their property.  Terry and Kaye said that they had seen water coming down from the hills – ‘it’s not our water’.  It’s very stressful for them when it floods.  They are looking at possibly lifting their house but at a cost of $30k they don’t know whether they should be paying it.

Donna – Experiences stress when it rains, and finds that she can’t sleep or relax. During the first flood Donna said she waded out in chest high water to get her son from the sleepout.  Every time it rains she moves the cars. Donna thinks $30k is a lot to pay to lift the house.

Workshop attendees were then asked to write down on Post-it notes what issues were created for the community/property owners when it flooded:

Infrastructure

• Holding ponds are more important than a golf course.
• Stormwater holding tanks for those at higher level.
• Diverting ground water away from northern end to holding ponds at southern end.
• Install culvert – road by Top 10.
• Holding tanks for properties on the hill (Maranui).
• Increase number of holding tanks and retention areas.
• Repair broken curbing – Wallnutt Avenue
• Use reservoir up Pacific Ave property as a rise and fall catchment.
• Cut a swale by surf club to let water out of carpark area as currently a stop bank.
• Additional bunding on holding ponds.
• Divert the stormwater from Maranui to Broadlands away from north end.
• Retention ponds/pumping systems at Pio Road, Bowentown appear to be effective.
• Kerb and channelling in Shaw Road to help prevent silt entering cess pits.

Maintenance

• Effective response to service requests for storm drain maintenance.
• All drive entrances from the road should be concreted to prevent soil etc from being washed into cess pits.
• Keep drains cleared.
• Regular cleaning and maintenance of present drains.
• Cleaning drains before storms.
• Cleaning drains more.
• Get rid of weeds/grass on roadside.
• Monitoring of maintenance contractors performance required.
• Clear all cess pits annually.
• Short term maintenance needs improvements.
• Maintenance – ongoing, stormwater – ongoing.

Regulation

• Enforcement of requirement for property owner/s to pipe stormwater to council drainage system/s.
• Use Public Works Act to carry out work re private land.

Planning

• Moratorium on future sub-division on the elevated sections.
• Slow down developments on the hill.
• Stop large driveways.
• Divert stormwater to Broadlands.
• Restrictions on non-permeable areas.
• Closer Council scrutiny of single/multiple property developers stormwater handling and/or affects is apparently required.
• Large lake catchments.
• If diverting stormwater, make sure that where it’s diverted too can cope without damage to property ie 2 Mile Creek.
• Stop building new homes on the hill by RSA.

People/Individual Responsibility

• Stress.
• Spend time at the beach.
• More action, less talk, just get on with it.
• Stress, fear, despair.
• All residents to take responsibilities for their storm water by suitable soak pits or similar.
• Financial hardship – loss of ability to sell, need to raise bach $30,000, unplanned expense on recently purchased bach.

Funding/Financial

• This is a community issue, not an individual or minority issue.
• What about imposing say about $500/yr for 3 years on all rates to fund fix up.
• Costs to be borne by all ratepayers to solve stormwater problems.  Of tide problems to be paid by affected properties only.
• Should I invoice Council for being a holding tank for storm water running into my property?
• Funding by levy to fix specific problems preferable to ongoing (lower) rates increase.
• Community issue – fixed term levy.
• Levy on all reduces cost to ratepayers in worst hit areas.
• Community levy not just those affected.
• Rates rebate for people who have to raise their homes or spend $ on solutions.