Weather: Nervous night for Ngongotahā residents

The Ngongotaha Stream on Saturday. Photo / Liz Sturt, A Gifted View Photography

Ngongotahā residents have had another nervous night as water levels have risen higher than they were yesterday.

This morning, MetService lifted all severe weather warnings for the Bay of Plenty,

However, Bay of Plenty Civil Defence advised people to continue to take care as the region’s rivers and streams were running high, some roads were still closed, and there was a lot of clean-up work taking place.

An update from the Lakes District Council said the Ngongotahā Stream had now reached peak levels, which could cause some surface flooding, particularly on roads in the area.

The council urged residents to remain vigilant and be prepared to evacuate if the need arises. Anyone who feels unsafe and wants to evacuate but needs assistance or accommodation should call Rotorua Lakes Council on 07 348 4199.

Contractors and council staff continue to closely monitor the situation, the council said.

Locals this morning were grateful the forecasted deluge that was supposed to hit at first light did not eventuate.

Lee-Ann Allerby, whose Western Rd property at the town centre end backs onto Ngongotahā Stream, said the waters were higher than they were yesterday.

She said they were hoping the water level would drop like it had yesterday afternoon.

Further up the road, towards the Agrodome tourist attraction, the stream was also still high.

Resident Jacky James, whose home is only a few metres from the stream banks, said the stream had peaked higher than it did yesterday - when they were genuinely concerned - because everything was already saturated.

”It is very high and it is moving extremely quickly - which is possibly why it hasn’t spilled out here. But it does mean that it is far more dangerous than our usual placid stream.

“People will need to take good care around it, especially with dogs and children, because things will get swept away very quickly. I dread to think of the debris that’s flowing into the lake.”

Yesterday, the water level at the back of Lee-Ann Allerby’s property was up to the first stick.

Yesterday, the council warned that heavy rain could cause streams and rivers to rise rapidly.

Heavy rain had caused an overflow of treated wastewater that was pumped to the forest to be sprayed from the city’s wastewater treatment plant into the Puarenga Stream.

“This has occurred due to the amount of treated wastewater, due to the rain, exceeding the rate at which the pumps that send this treated wastewater to the forest are able to do so.”

The situation was being monitored and signage was being erected at Sulphur Bay. Such overflows could occur when large amounts of stormwater entered the wastewater system due to a lot of rain in a short space of time.

Regardless of any overflows, advice from public health authorities was to not swim in waterways during and for at least 48 hours after any significant rain events.

This was because of contamination from run-off from land that occurs and any other contaminants entering waterways. The council was actively monitoring the current weather warnings, and contractors were on standby to respond to any weather-related issues.

Image 1 of 8: Liz Sturt of A Gifted View Photography ventured out in the wet for a closer view of the flooding.