“No one has been injured, it seems like an exemplary response,” O’Connor said. “Some of the longer term costs, with roading and infrastructurem will be the things that we focus on.
MAIA HART/STUFF
Minister of Agriculture Damien O’Connor saw some of the damage in Marlborough caused by heavy rain. “I’ll be able to take the information back to my colleagues, just to make sure that we work with the Council as it has to spend the money of recovery.” The Minister’s first stop was a vineyard near the Wairau River, just over State Highway 63. Stop bank protection had largely saved that vineyard from disaster. The next vineyard, on Waihopai Valley Rd, was a different story.
“We’re not sure how much water got into the houses . The stop banks will be bomb-proof by the time we’re finished.” Marlborough Mayor John Leggett said the region’s civil defence team was conscious that more heavy rain could add more water to Marlborough s “already sodden soil”. More bad weather could affect Queen Charlotte Drive, which re-opened on Tuesday for the first time in three days with traffic measures, so workers could continue clearing slips. “Public safety is the only priority . Caution is key.” Leggett said the civil defence team was not yet sure how many houses had been damaged by the wild weather.
Part of the works would take place on a 90-hectare block on Blenheim s southeast, between State Highway 1 and Alabama Rd, named “E2” in a geotechnical survey commissioned by the council in 2012. The study found the land had a high risk of liquefaction and lateral spread, and should not be built on. The ruling bankrupted a family looking to subdivide, said councillor David Oddie at an assets and services meeting late last month. The ruling was re-confirmed in Marlborough s new environment plan last year. Council rivers and drainage engineering manager Geoff Dick said although the stormwater project s final design did not accommodate for expansion east, the issue had been looked at.
Houses could be built in Blenheim s quake-prone east with innovative engineering, says a councillor concerned that its subdivision potential is not being catered for.
Work has begun on the Wai-iti subdivision in Blenheim.
Photo: STUFF / Scott Hammond
The eastern edge of Blenheim has been ruled out for urban expansion since the Christchurch earthquakes caused liquefaction that wrecked homes, streets and backyards a decade ago.
The issue resurfaced as the Marlborough District Council plans major pipelines along Redwood St and Alabama Rd, through the eastern area., to prevent new sections from flooding drains.
The council estimated the works would cost $17.4 million and take up to five years to complete. The first round of upgrades - burying an 80-metre-long culvert - has been completed.