Waikato, Waipā and West Coast erosion and sediment reduction
Funded: $2.502m (Regional Investment Fund, administered by Kanoa – Regional Economic Development & Investment Unit)
Total project cost: $4.17m
Project Information
The Waikato, Waipā and West Coast Flood Mitigation project extends work to remediate waterways impacted by the severe weather events of 2022, 2023 and early 2026.
Ensuring channel capacity and streambank stability of these waterways is critical to reduce the risk from future flooding events, particularly as extreme weather events are expected to happen more often with climate change and the communities living in these remote catchments can become isolated.
This project includes the implementation of soft and hard erosion protection, removal of obstructions from waterways, and riparian fencing and planting to help stabilise streambanks.
Proactive strengthening of streambanks helps to protect essential infrastructure, productive land and properties.
This project is being funded by the Regional Investment Fund, Waikato Regional Council and landowners. Some specific works are also being funded by the Waikato River Authority.
Project Benfits
- Help protect productive land (predominantly dairy farms) and infrastructure (state highways, bridges, rail networks, etc) from the impacts of large-scale flood events.
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Increase the resilience of the Lower Waikato-Waipā Flood Control Scheme, and the smaller schemes through Ōtorohanga, Te Kūiti and the West Coast Zone, by reducing the strain on scheme infrastructure.
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Erosion control will help reduce the amount of sediment entering waterways, which helps improve water quality and aquatic ecology.
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Riparian planting will create habitat and food for native birds, insects and lizards, and shade for fish species.
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The work will be delivered by local contractors, thereby contributing to the local economy and employment.
