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Plans to protect Kāpiti properties from flooding were among topics discussed by councillors during a long-term plan development workshop last week.
Kapiti Coast Mayor K Gurunathan said it’s sobering to think that more than a quarter of Kāpiti properties are at risk of being flooded.
The district’s stormwater system handles the surface water that runs off roads, driveways and footpaths in urban areas, with measures in place to manage the water quality that flows downstream.
“No-one is debating that managing flood risks in the face of increasingly wet and wild weather is a challenge for the district – the question is where to start to ensure we address the areas of greatest need first?” Gurunathan noted. “Following a severe storm in 2015, a significant investigation and prioritisation exercise was undertaken, which has resulted in the development of a more extensive programme of works.
“We’d love to get the whole programme completed as soon as possible but the price tag is hefty, at nearly $240 million.”
The Mayor said the district council will gather input from its communities on progressing with the new programme, as part of its long-term plan community consultation, which gets underway towards the end of March. The next long-term plan workshop is on February 13.
In the face of extreme weather events, project planning around flood management is becoming popular among communities. Last week, Thames District Council announced its adoption of the revised climate change assumption by the Ministry for the Environment. As advised in the guidelines, the council will take into account a potential sea-level rise by 2150 for all major infrastructure projects proposed in its 2018-2028 long-term-plan.
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