The Clive River will be dredged in 2022, Hawke's Bay Regional Council has announced, after delays to the consent process.
Water users in the area have been crying out for the work which is carried out to reduce a regular build up in silt in the lower Clive.
The council initially suggested the work would get under way in February 2021, but the process has had several delays.
Until 1969, the lower Clive River was part of the Ngaruroro River, before it was diverted down a new channel, which helped stop frequent flooding in the area.
But it also resulted in a drastic change of flow pattern in the lower Clive River, which subsequently led to a build-up of silt over the riverbed.