15/05/2018

Lessons learnt from the Mangapoike landslide will be shared at a public seminar exploring restoration options for the Waimata catchment.

The February landslide at Mangapoike resulted in the formation of a dam that was more than 40-metres deep and rising by 60cm a day.

To eliminate risks to the nearby farm and bridge access, explosives were detonated to cut a two-metre deep trench to release water from the dam formed on the Mangapoike River.

The dam now remains stable and as a result, a permanent lake of nearly 28-hectares remains.

Council’s principal science advisor Dr Murry Cave and expert engineer Dr Ian Brown worked together to manage the landslide and will discuss the intricacies of it during the seminar on Friday.

The findings will be related to options for restoring the Waimata catchment.

Gisborne District Council has engaged University of Canterbury’s School of Forestry scientists Dr David Norton and Dr Adam Forbes to complete research on the options.

Repairing the riparian margins of the river will significantly reduce the loss of soil from the surrounding land, reducing the amount of sediment flowing through the city and out to sea.

The seminar will be held at Council on May 18 starting at 10am.

ENDS

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