A $23 million hard circle embankment option for the proposed Westport flood protection scheme, has been presented to key stakeholders.
However, "quite delicate conversations" remain as time ticks by for the business case to go to the government next month.
Photo: RNZ / Tracy Neal
The Buller District Council, West Coast Regional Council, Westport Joint Rating District, Westport Flood Steering Group and members of the Westport Technical Advisory Group were briefed on Thursday night.
Regional council chairman Allan Birchfield said the preferred circle embankment option was expected to cost about $23m.
The final alignment and parts of Westport to be 'in or out', as well as the financial viability of the embankment if the government did not contribute, were unknown at this stage, councillor Birchfield said.
Buller mayor Jamie Cleine said he was pleased with what was presented, but some "quite delicate conversations" with affected parties in Westport remained.
Those conversations depend on the final alignment. Mapping and hydrological details were still being finalised.
Cleine said when the floodwall alignment might become public was not clear yet, but what was being presented was "the most practical case.
"It's great to see progress, but it's going to be complex and it's going to take some time.
"It's certainly getting quite close to the best alignment... Clearly they've got an alignment in a scheme that will provide a level of service."
However, parts of Westport were outside and "there's definitely parts that aren't going to be accepted".
"There's clearly going to be some compelling conversations around the service levels of the wall, who is in and who the thing protects."
Unanswered questions including "just in case scenarios" to be included, were still to be accounted for, Cleine said.
Timeline for Westport embankment options and long term flood resilience business case. Photo: Supplied/ West Coast Regional Council
While the proposed embankment would protect from some of the flood risk, it did not take the issue away totally.
"There is a widely held public view that we build the wall and that is the end of the problem, however it won't reduce the residual risk.
"What we heard about last night was the 'hard' scheme. That's only part of a multi-tooled approach."
The briefing was just on the "hard structures" and the associated river engineering for a ring embankment.
Residual issues like ground water incursion within the embankment area, storm water, future building foundation heights, integration with the proposed Te Tai o Poutini Plan, and Civil Defence and Emergency Management, all had to be built into the broader scheme to be presented to cabinet next month.
It also had to meet the government criteria that the scheme builds resilience in Westport as a whole.
The "soft options" to cover water table levels, stormwater, and building foundation height were a work in progress.
Cleine said the Buller District Council also had to cover its own aspects in a separate project.
This was also subject to a small briefing to his council on what those were likely to be.
Birchfield said the 'option two' ring embankment was the most practical.
"A fair bit depends on whether we got the government money or not. Really the community can't afford to do the whole scheme," he said.
In that scenario the best option would need to be assessed again.
"What do you do? They can't do half a scheme."
The regional council has committed to invest $10.2m in the scheme.
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