Wairarapa narrowly escaped deluge

THE huge storm that wreaked havoc on Wanganui last weekend came dangerously close to Wairarapa before altering course.

Rain radars show the storm may have been only a hour or so away from dumping on Wairarapa; a scenario which could have swelled rivers on this side of the ranges to far greater levels than they did, possibly testing out theories on Masterton's floodplain.

One of those who tracked the progress of the storm was district councillor David Holmes who told his fellow councillors this week that at 11pm on Friday the storm was "heading this way".

"It looked like we were about an hour away from being Wanganui," he said.

"If it hadn't come to a halt, we would have copped the lot - all 175mm of it."

Revelations on what the district could have endured came during a discussion on Masterton's flood protection.

Originally, the regional council had come up with a report that appeared to be countermanded by another report prepared by the district council in conjunction with Niwa. But now the district council and the regional council have joined forces in a "collaborative approach" to achieve flood protection for the town.

Explaining the latest moves, chief executive Pim Borren said the district council's report had contradicted the regional council's findings but when the two were brought together it revealed the biggest problem had been "poor quality data".

The regional council had worked off the hydrology of the Waipoua River and the Niwa report was based on rainfall data. Now both councils will be working together with the object of ensuring the town is adequately protected from flood risks.