Press Release – Otago Regional Council Evening of 2 January 2021 Further to the advisory issued earlier today, forecast rainfall is continuing, with rivers expected to continue to rise, possibly significantly, overnight. Rivers are now running high throughout much of Otago, primarily in the …
Evening of 2 January 2021
Further to the advisory issued earlier today, forecast rainfall is continuing, with rivers expected to continue to rise, possibly significantly, overnight.
Rivers are now running high throughout much of Otago, primarily in the Taieri, Clutha, Manuherekia and Kakanui catchments. With rainfall intensities through the evening expected to remain high across the region, rivers are expected to continue to rise.
Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:37 am, December 23rd, 2020 - 22 comments
January
Demonstrating that hydro electricity generation and the Department of Conservation can work well together, a small scale “run of river” 1.89 megawatt generator system on public conservation land in South Westland is approved. No dam, just smart thinking.
February
The Auditor General comes out with a really good report on freshwater, stormwater, and drinking water, and puts government, local government and the big users on notice: “Given the significance of water issues, what we expected to find: clear national strategies … coherent work programmes … robust systems … resourcing, planning and strategic risk management … and strong engagement models with communities and in particular Maori. We found that, although much good work was being done, all of these elements were not in place.”
Monday, 21 December 2020, 3:11 pm
The Otago Regional Council (ORC) is asking dog owners to
learn how to recognise potentially toxic algal mats in
rivers, in order to keep their pets safe this
summer.
Phormidium, a naturally occurring algae,
thrives in Otago rivers during summer – particularly the
Cardrona, Hawea and Manuherekia Rivers, but it has also been
spotted in other parts of the region, such as the
Waianakarua River and Silver Stream.
Phormidium forms
thick dark brown mats on rocks in the riverbed and can
sometimes look like black tar. In the flow of water,
phormidium mats detach from the riverbed and wash up on
Thursday, 17 December 2020, 3:25 pm
The Otago Regional Council (ORC) has finalised an
agreement with the Provincial Development Unit (PDU) for
$5.44m in government funding for four engineering projects
in Otago. The projects will help with flood resilience and
environmental outcomes, and will contribute to additional
jobs for the region.
The agreement is part of a
Climate Resilience Programme of works across regional
councils that focuses on flood protection and river
management resilience. The funding is part of the
government’s $3 billion investment in infrastructure to
support New Zealand’s economic recovery from
COVID-19.
The government investment in flood
resilience infrastructure in and Otago was first announced
Thursday, 17 December, 2020 - 14:56
Boaties, tourism operators and recreational users on Lake WÄnaka are being asked to be extra careful this summer to avoid damaging biodegradable matting installed to control lakeweed.
Land Information New Zealand leads restoration operations on Otago’s lakes. As part of these operations, hessian matting has been laid at a number of sites in Lake WÄnaka to supress the spread of the highly invasive waterweed, lagarosiphon.
Left uncontrolled lagarosiphon takes over lakes, creating dense forests of weed below the water’s surface. It can block boats’ motors, ruin swimming, and smother precious native plants.
LINZ Biosecurity and Biodiversity Group Manager Megan Reid says from mid-late December 15 to 20 marker buoys will be installed at the following locations to clearly mark out areas where matting is laid: