Council considers approach for stormwater

Plans to protect Kāpiti properties from flooding were among topics discussed by councillors at yesterday’s long term plan development workshop.

Mayor K Gurunathan says it’s sobering to think that more than a quarter of Kāpiti properties are a risk of being flooded.

The district’s stormwater system handles the surface water that runs off roads, driveways and footpaths in urban areas, with measures in place to manage the water quality that flows downstream.

“No one is debating that managing flood risks in the face of increasingly wet and wild weather is a challenge for the district – the question is where to start to ensure we address the areas of greatest need first?” says the Mayor

“Following a severe storm in 2015 a significant investigation and prioritisation exercise was undertaken, which has resulted in the development of a more extensive programme of works.

“We’d love to get the whole programme completed as soon as possible but the price tag is hefty, at nearly $240 million.

“We’ll be seeking input from our communities on progressing with the new programme. We’ll do this as part of our long term plan community consultation, which gets underway towards the end of next month.”

At the next Council long term plan workshop, on 13 February, councillors will continue to discuss details of the plan. The public are welcome to observe these presentations and discussions.

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