September 16, 2013

North Otago river study results to be outlined

North Otago people will have a chance next week to hear how the physical shape and form of the Kakanui and Kauru Rivers have changed over the years.

ORC is hosting a public meeting where information obtained during surveys late last year will be presented. The meeting is next Monday (23 September) at the Maheno Hall, at 7pm.

An ORC report summarising the investigation’s results looks at how landslides and land instability, alluvial fan activity, floods, bank erosion, and sediment transport and deposition, have affected the channels in the two rivers over time.

ORC director of environmental engineering and natural hazards Gavin Palmer said the previous catchment-wide analysis of long-term trends was in 2010.

The updated assessment, which also draws on information going back to the 1980s, identifies the effect physical processes have had on the shape and form of the rivers.

The effect of gravel extraction and recent floods is also summarised.

Aerial and ground photography, as well as visual inspections, were among the methods used to obtain the new information.

ENDS

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