Franz Josef: historic rubbish dump ‘dodged a bullet’
From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
Waiho Flat dairy farms at Franz Josef "dodged a bullet" after flooding on Monday again threatened a historic rubbish dump.
The Waiho (Waiau) River floodwaters appeared to threaten the stopbank that protects the buried dump, just below Canavans Knob, but then turned away, Waiho Flat farmer of 50 years Richard Molloy said.
Nerves were jangled on Monday when the rapidly rising river looked to be on the verge of breaking through - as it almost did last year.
During a 70mm downpour in about 90 minutes, the raging river shifted course straight towards the bank.
"We were only a hair's breadth away from the same situation," Molloy said.
It was only averted by chance - "it's nothing to do with proactiveness".
West Coast Regional Council acting infrastructure manager Colin Munn said he was made aware of concerns last Friday and the council arranged for a local contractor to inspect the stopbank.
"He thought it was fine ... I guess it's a matter of judgment."
Engineering staff were again visiting the site today, Munn said.
Further north at Harihari, Wanganui River farmers mopping up from their second flood in a fortnight were again critical of the regional council's role in the delay in repairing the impaired stopbank.
Work to divert the river started last Thursday but heavy rain that night saw the river break out above the new diversion, and thwarted the short term repair.
"What our aim has been is to get some rock to the site to ensure we don't lose any more of that stopbank," Munn said.
Rock cartage began on Friday and restarted on Sunday, but contractors "got chased out" by the rising river levels.
"It's an interesting place to be in terms of the ability of schemes to withstand all these events repeatedly, and people's expectations that you can fix it overnight."
He said the council just needed some breathing space.
"The best thing for me is if someone turns the tap off."
Riverbeds constricted for a long time by flood protection banks were continuing to aggrade with gravel build-up, Munn said.
Discussions about the broader issues facing the Wanganui River scheme were ongoing, but the council had to balance the immediate risk for affected residents.
"The factors have changed around it and it's making it more challenging to manage the status quo, but at the moment we're just trying to make sure we get control of it."
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
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61.9% Summer
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36.6% Winter
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1.5% Other - I'll share below
Worst Xmas ever?
There's a a lot of planning that goes into Christmas day and sometimes things just don't go to plan. But it can be a good thing - a family mishap or hilarious memory that you can laugh about in Christmases to come.
Whether you burnt the dinner or were stranded at an airport...
Share your Christmas mishaps below!
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