Help is on the way for 108 Mount Maunganui industrial properties at risk of being flooded in big storms.
Tauranga City Council has backed a scheme which calls for the construction of two huge stormwater retention ponds in Portside Drive and Te Maire St.
The council has reprioritised its stormwater works programmefor this year in order to free up enough money to reduce the flood risk facing areas around Triton Ave, Portside Drive and Te Maire St.
Many properties were flooded in this year's January 29 storm including a Te Maire St warehouse in which Harvey Norman lost about $600,000 worth of furniture.
Water was up to the axles of trucks in Waste Management's yard in Portside Drive and another business lost $40,000 of equipment, leading to businesses being refused flood insurance.
The new scheme is hugely scaled back compared to the original $84 million plan which included 10-m wide concrete drains from Totara St to Aerodrome Rd.
Submissions from Mount Maunganui industrial property owners to the council's 2011-12 Annual Plan succeeded in the swift development of a substantially more modest project, in which the physical works will be funded from the council's $4.4 million bulk fund for stormwater works this year.
Property purchases will be funded from the strategic property account.
The new plan calls for the purchase of a property in Portside Drive to allow construction of one of the new stormwater-retention ponds.
January's storm saw up to 60cm of water flow through Waste Management's building, with council drainage manager Graeme Dohnt saying the water hung around for two days.
In an ironic turn of events for the council, it was the sewage gully traps that helped the stormwater get away. Mr Dohnt said the volume of wastewater entering the Te Maunga treatment works increased by 10,000cu m a day during January's storm - up from the normal 7500cu m a day.
The revised scheme put to the council on Thursday followed the council telling Mr Dohnt on Monday to take action within the next 12 months to reduce the risk of flooding in the Triton Ave and Te Maire catchments.
The new plan will immediately add 24,000cu m of stormwater capacity to the Portside Drive system by reshaping and deepening an existing pond and altering the shape of the main drain.
