Around 80 residents turned up to the public meeting at the Spring Creek Hall on Thursday night. Photo: Supplied / Marlborough District Council
Spring Creek residents have been told repairs to the compromised stopbanks protecting their town from the Wairau River are a top priority for the council - but the fix will cost $8.7 million and it will be three years before it is complete.
Around 80 residents filled the Spring Creek Hall on Thursday night to hear more about the Marlborough District Council's plans, with many questioning why the work could not be done sooner.
Parts of the town, which is north of Blenheim next to State Highway 1, were told to evacuate during heavy rain last month - before the order was cancelled after less rain fell and the river did not rise as predicted.
At the meeting, residents voiced concerns about why the issue had not been addressed when it was first noticed eight years ago and what could happen in the years before the banks were fixed, while asking if any mitigation work could be done in the interim. They also shared frustrations at learning about the recent evacuation order through friends and family or the media.
Marlborough District Council rivers and drainage engineering manager Andy White said the council were planning a meeting to keep residents informed of the progress - but the April storm bet them to it.
"The frustration, I acknowledge it 100 percent, I acknowledge the anxiety entirely as well... I think it is more important people go away informed and are committed to what we are saying."
Andy White told residents that topping up the stopbanks was not a suitable fix - as they were already showing signs of cracking and that could cause them to deteriorate further. Photo: Supplied / Marlborough District Council
White, who joined the council around two and a half years ago, said he could not change the what had happened in the past, but that the fix was complex and he was committed to ensuring it was done as soon as possible.
"This bank has been in need of an upgrade for several years and we have been planning that but in more recent years we have had seismic events and we've had substantial scour and it has changed the importance of this and it is a high priority for the district as a whole."
He described the stopbanks in a report to council as being at "catastrophic risk of failure" after cracks appeared in the asphalt on Peninsula Road, which runs along the top of the bank after the Kaikōura earthquake in 2016, then in the lower section after the 2021 and 2022 floods in Marlborough.
White said funding constraints, a lack of design engineers and difficulty sourcing suitable rock were the main roadblocks.
Council staff explained the history of floods in the area and what had been done to the stop banks since they were built - 100 years ago. Photo: RNZ / Samantha Gee
Geotechnical work drillling boreholes and test pits would begin next month, while White said the council would consider removing gravel from the river after feedback at the meeting. The 35,000 tonnes of rock needed for the project, was not currently available in Marlborough, but could be sourced from the West Coast or Golden Bay at additional cost.
Emergency management officer Gary Spence told residents what they could expect in future evacuations and said many of those out door knocking to inform people of the evacuation notice were volunteers.
"We do have response agencies, emergency services, response teams sitting there ready to go - it's not that we don't know what's going on, we have a plan in action and rather than plan covertly we are saying this is what we are doing, this is what you can expect to see and hear."
Residents have concerns about why the issue hadn't been addressed when it was first noticed eight years ago and what could happen in the years before the banks are fixed. Photo: Supplied / Marlborough District Council
The council said the community would continue to be proactive when it came to issuing early warning evacuation alerts, when the river reached a trigger level of 3000 cubic metres per second.
Mayor Nadine Taylor also gave assurances the council was committed to fixing the stop banks.
"It is a top priority for this community, top priority for the district, top priority for river management, there is no argument there it is just a matter now of getting the budget approved."
Taylor said the work would happen regardless and it was seeking $5.2m from the government towards the repair work.
"This community epitomises the reason that we need co-investment from the government ... we've got an 100-year-old stopbank here that we know needs rebuilding, we have got a community that will struggle to fund it, we are committed but that co-investment is so critical."
The cost of the stopbank fix was more than the council's total budget for the district's rivers which was $6.5m, which showed the magnitude of the work required, she said.
The council would continue to hold meetings with the Spring Creek community, to keep them up to date on the project's progress, she said.