7/13/2011 4:30 PM
MEDIA RELEASE

Farmers asked to move stock from floodway

Manawatu farmers with stock in the Moutoa floodway are tonight being advised to move their stock in preparation for a possible gate opening.

Horizons Regional Council has been keeping a close eye on the region’s river levels and believes if rain continues as predicted the Moutoa floodgates will be opened early tomorrow (Thursday 14 July).

Horizons incident controller, Allan Cook, said that rivers are rising again after the region was hit by more heavy rain today.

“The Manawatu River is on the rise and if we get the rain metservice is predicting then we will need to open the Moutoa gates to relieve pressure on the river.

“Farmers with stock in the floodway have been contacted by Horizons staff and advised to move stock tonight.”

Other rivers in the region are also rising but Horizons are not predicting them to be of any concern overnight.

“The Whanganui and Rangitikei rivers are on the way up and we have notified district councils but we’re not expecting any cause for concern based on our modelling. However, if people have concerns for their stock they should err on the side of caution,” said Mr Cook.

“The Whangaehu may reach 8 metres later on Thursday which could result in some road closures and we’ll be keeping a close eye on that.”

Mr Cook advised that there is some surface flooding and drivers should take care on the roads.

“There’s been a lot of rain in a relatively short space of time which means the ground is saturated and surface flooding is to be expected.

The public are advised to exercise caution when driving and check the AA’s website, http://maps.aa.co.nz/traffic/roadwatch for information on road closures.

Horizons will continue to monitor the situation and update the public if necessary

ENDS

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