Urgent waterway repairs continue around district after April's damaging storm

Urgent waterway repair work by the Bay of Plenty Regional Council continues around the city after the extreme rainfall event and flooding last month.

Flooding in Ngongotahā caused significant damage to properties, waterways and landscape with regional council staff and contractors at work in the area since the flood event of April 29.

The council's general manager, integrated catchments, Chris Ingle, said the event sent a massive amount of water down through fairly small streams and the damage it caused would take some time to rectify.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council's long reach digger placing rock to armour the bank of the Ngongotahā Stream at Parawai Marae. Photo/Supplied

"As the urgent work is completed, we're getting a better picture of all work that needs to take place and making a prioritisation plan for the coming weeks.

"While we work through the urgent jobs, we are also checking other areas and making arrangements to get through all the clean-up work that's needed in the coming weeks," Ingle said.

Regional council has assessed and responded to a large number of inquiries about erosion and stream debris in Ngongotahā, Utuhina, and Puarenga Streams and has also inspected other streams for unreported damage.

Contractors removing flood debris from the Ngongotahā Stream at Western Rd. Photo/Supplied

Tree falls are also being cleared from waterways in several areas.

Lake levels across the Rotorua district were also very high following the rainfall event in particular Lake Rerewhakaaitu where lake levels have been very high over recent months and were exacerbated by the recent storm event.

There was significant flooding in surrounding farmland and staff are working to clear debris from the outlet channel and weir structure near Republican Rd in Rerewhakaaitu so that the outlet runs as efficiently as possible.