Port Waikato’s upgraded stormwater pump station is now fully operational, and together with other recently completed stormwater projects will help ensure the community isfuture-proofed and able to respond to heavy weather events.

Waikato District Council has upgraded the existing Maraetai Bay stormwater pump station and the outlet channels to improve capacity and stormwater resilience, installed a new pump station at the Port Waikato Holiday Park, completed the Ooraeroa Marae flood resistance work, and Sunset Farm slip remediation. We received $2.35 million received from the central government Flood Resilience Co-Investment Fund to complete this work.

Port Waikato’s stormwater network was affected when Cyclone Gabrielle hit, with damage to existing infrastructure and issues happening because of several landslips.

Council used flood modelling of the area and engaged with the community to prioritise the mitigation work that was needed to significantly reduce future storm damage.

General Manager Assets and Infrastructure Megan May says Council is focused on improving the ability to cope with big weather events of our infrastructure and supporting our communities to do the same.

“We know that extreme weather events are going to become more frequent and severe, and we’re considering this in every stage of infrastructure development — from planning and design through to implementation. This is one of the many actions in our Climate Response and Resilience Strategy.”

Council Waters Engineer Mark Curtis says the new stormwater pumps were put the test in recent heavy rain events and performed well.

“The pumping rate of the main stormwater pump station at Port Waikato has increased from 90L/s to 240L/s because of the pump station upgrade, meaning we can move more water quickly, during heavy rainfall or storm events.”

The old pump could pump the equivalent of three Olympic-sized pools a day. The new stormwater pump can pump up to eight Olympic pools a day. That means we can move a lot more stormwater away from our residents’ properties.

The new stormwater pump station at the holiday park has a capacity of 60L/s, which has had a significant impact during heavy rain.

The Ooraeroa Marae flood resistance work included forming the streambed and banks, new stormwater infrastructure, coconut matting and fencing, and stormwater tanks and strip drains around the marae building.

The Sunset Farm slip remediation is also now complete following planting, hydro-seeding and boulder placement.

Fish ladder to help eels’ migration

The Maraetai Bay pump station also includes a fish ladder to make it easier for migrating eels (tuna) to move up and downstream easier. The metal ramp is angled so they can easily climb, and there’s a small channel on the other side for them to safely go out.

There’s also fish resting areas, in the form of strategically placed boulders and rocks, in the Ooraeroa Marae streambed to help the fish go about their journey.

Protecting our waterways and helping to ensure our infrastructure doesn’t negatively impact our environment, in particular our native freshwater species, is a key component of our stormwater discharge consent.

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