Media Release: Report into possible flood mitigation options shared with Snodgrass Road residents
Affected residents living on Snodgrass Road in Westport were last night invited to a residents-only meeting where they were shown a presentation on a report commissioned by the West Coast Regional Council (WCRC) into possible flood mitigation options for Snodgrass Road.
Snodgrass Road is located just north of the Orowaiti River and estuary. The road has been particularly vulnerable to weather events including the July 2021 floods and Cyclone Fehi. Snodgrass Road was excluded from the Government’s Resilient Westport funding package following technical advice, meaning flood protection for the area is currently unfunded.
The Regional Council-commissioned report looked at a range of possible mitigations and found a stopbank to be the best option. Fifteen possible stopbanks were considered, seven of which were evaluated in a computational hydraulic model. The report found one to be the preferred option which would provide protection to the majority (but not all) of the affected properties, and have the least effect on other properties in Westport and upstream.
The meeting was attended by around 35 residents along with both West Coast Regional Council and Buller chief executives, Darryl Lew and Simon Pickford, Mayor Jamie Cleine, elected representatives and staff.
West Coast Regional Council Buller Constituent councillor Mark McIntyre says Snodgrass Road is something that he feels passionate about as did late councillor Frank Dooley.
“We fought for options for Snodgrass Road to be considered so I know Frank would be pleased to see this step forward for the residents,” says Cr McIntyre.
West Coast Regional Council Chair Peter Haddock says it was explained to those attending the meeting that the report is an engineering concept proposal and funding has not been assessed or sourced at present.
“Council wants to keep looking for solutions for this group of residents who we appreciate have waited a long time for some certainty. We acknowledge how challenging this has been and still is,” says Cr Haddock.
“It was important for all concerned to hear the information and be given the opportunity to share their thoughts and reactions to the information.
“However, in terms of the bigger picture, this report is just one step in the process. We will now need to take it away and get firm costings before we can establish how it might be funded. Any decision on how to proceed would sit with the West Coast Regional Council and Resilient Westport Steering Group.
“We wanted to be able to explain this in person to the affected residents before we shared this information more widely. The report is quite specific as to which properties might be able to be protected by a possible stopbank. Some properties will be outside the main stopbank proposed. As you can imagine this is difficult and stressful for some residents. We are supporting them as best we can, whilst we work towards a greater certainty for all concerned.
“We met some residents individually before the meeting to explain the report. We are encouraging them all to stay in touch with the Snodgrass Working Group and/or Resilient Westport with any concerns or questions. We will be keeping them updated as we go along.
“The next steps are to refine the scheme design and confirm the proposal, develop a costing for the work, and if approved, develop a funding mechanism option through rating,” says Cr Peter Haddock.
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For further information please contact:
The Resilient Westport media team
media@resilientwestport.co.nz
You can find the report along with the presentation shown to affected residents on 30 January 2025 here:
Snodgrass Road Flood Mitigation Report (complete)
Snodgrass Road Flood Mitigation Report appendices