Floodwater dam set for June finish

UNDER CONSTRUCTION: Work continues at the site of the Kotuku detention dam in Raumanga, which is due for completion in June.PHOTO/JOHN STONE

A dam designed to minimise flooding in central Whangarei is due for completion in June.

The $11million Kotuku detention dam, in a gully between Raumanga Valley Rd and Kotuku St, is one of the biggest projects the Northland Regional Council has undertaken.

Council land/rivers senior programme manager Bruce Howse said work was progressing well.

He said the dam would reduce the flooding risk for downtown Whangarei and Raumanga.

Construction began on the dam last September. The main embankment is due to be completed in late May, while finishing work like concreting is due to be finished in June.

The 18-metre-high earth dam will hold up to 1.27million cu m of floodwater during heavy rain, about two thirds of the capacity of the Whau Valley dam. It will release trapped stormwater over several days, reducing river swelling and downstream flooding.

A targeted rate was introduced for the project for more than 17,000 properties in the 2012 NRC Long Term Plan, in an area covering the central business district and Morningside, and the Hatea, Raumanga and Waiarohia catchments.

As part of the 2015-2025 Long Term Plan the rate was increased 40 per cent this year to $51.56, among a host of other targeted rates for other council projects.

The submissions period on the 2015-2025 Long Term Plan closes on April 24.

-Follow progress of the Kotuku dam online via a webcam: www.nrc.govt.nz - search for Kotuku Dam.