Photo: Supplied / West Coast Regional Council
The council has included the Westport project in its 2021- 2031 long term plan which is yet to be released to the public.
But Beal said the scheme involved extensive stopbanks and floodwalls - essentially ringfencing the town from the Buller and Orowaiti rivers and would cost $10.2 million.
"It is designed for a one-in-a-100-year flood in the Buller ... and whether it would have protected the town this time, the simple answer is yes, unless there was a flood bank failure," Beale said.
"There would likely still have been surface flooding damage to some properties from storm water but not to the same extent or over widespread areas."