Readers weigh in on stopbank action

LET'S TALK: Last week's Chronicle story.

Last week Whanganui District Council asked Horizons Regional Council to consult with Whanganui people about whether they wanted the flood stopbanks on Anzac Parade raised to higher levels.

The Chronicle Facebook readers weighed in with their opinions, and here is a sample of what they wrote. You can join the conversation at www.facebook.com/wanganuichronicle.co.nz

"Dredge the river, it's far more important than the arts, markets etc. It's about time the council took a good hard look at where they just waste ratepayers' money."

- Michael Gill

"Raise the stopbanks ... but dredge the river at the same time."

- Rachael Frances Hampton

"If we have a metre or two sea level rise, as predicted, that part of Anzac Pde will become permanently flooded. We should be having discussions about when and how we abandon it, rather than building more stopbanks."

- Mike Dickison

"The river should be dredged regularly, as it used to be back in the day. The houses in the major danger zones should be moved and the area planted to make a nice park-like area that would match in with the Kowhai Park side."

- Carol Whitlock

"You can dredge the river, but if all the farms upstream do not plant trees and riparian borders to prevent sediment, you're just going to keep wasting money dredging ... and where are you going to dump all the sediment? It's probably better to move away from the problem as you're never going to beat Mother Nature."

- Ka-who Ranginui

"Planned retreat makes sense, before it becomes unplanned forced retreat."

- Matt Dutton

"The river should be allowed to take its natural course."

- Daniel Harding

"Ten centimetres or more of silt has been left sitting in the area north of Riverlands Fun Park effectively lowering the existing stopbanks in that stretch. How about the council gets all that out for a start. Bet Anzac Parade residents will end up being levied again for stopbanks that won't work."

- Julie Kelly

"This will continue forever ... once upon a time the river was dredged regularly (and kept folk in employment) and it worked, such an easy solution but councils and such don't want easy they would rather waste my money on surveys and such. I would appreciate another bridge up the top end of Anzac Pde so that I can still get to work to pay my rates so in time they can again be frittered away on nonsensical solutions."

- Bronwyn McGrail