Bay flood repairs labelled a waste

By KATEE SHANKS in Matata
Matata residents believe money spent fixing May's flood damage has gone straight down the gurgler.

This week's heavy rain in the area has led Bruce Colebrook and a swag of other residents to claim that ``temporary culverts'' put in place after the May flooding could not deal with water coming down the Awatarariki Stream.

About 100mm of rainfall had been recorded in the 12 hours leading up to 6am on Tuesday.

``A tree trunk and two boulders blocked three of the culverts [on Tuesday] and the remaining three filled up with silt and debris and were inoperable,'' Mr Colebrook said.

``When the culverts were put in we all knew they were a bloody joke.''

Mr Colebrook has been unable to live in his home since May 18.

He was thankful that water that had backed up behind culverts that lie just to the east of his home had eventually flowed east and not west.

The rail company Ontrack had installed the culverts.

A spokesperson said discussions between the company and the council into seeking a permanent solution were continuing. The company would not comment about the temporary culverts.

The deluge of silt-filled water eventually flowed under the Matata rail underpass, trapping two north-bound trucks on State Highway 2.

The drivers of both had to be rescued by the Edgecumbe Line Rescue Crew, assisted by the Matata Volunteer Fire Service.

``If it had gone west a number of homes that were flooded in May would have suffered again.

``The causeway cut down to the sea through the mass of boulders and debris did not work at all, and the water ended up taking an entirely different path,''Mr Colebrook said of the measures.

As fast as excavators were removing silt from behind the culverts, the stream was filling them again, he claimed.

``The debris will keep coming down like this every time we have a bit of rain. That's not going to ever stop.''

Mr Colebrook believes the Whakatane District Council and its consultants had a lot to answer for. He accused the council of still not listening to the residents of Matata.

``There are hunters who go up into those hills every week and each of them I have talked to has said things have changed each time they go.''

Whakatane District Council recovery manager Dianne Turner said everything possible was being done to ensure Matata residents and their homes were being protected for now and in the future.

``We [council] and the consultants are working together for solutions but realise we will not be able to please everyone,'' Ms Turner said.

At the western end of Matata, the Waitepuru Stream altered its course again on Tuesday, undermining the railway track, spilling on to the road and slicing through a kiwifruit orchard.

Matata Resource Centre spokesman Anthony Olsen said the water had taken hectares of pasture from the Burt farm and threatened homes behind the Rangitihi Marae. ``The water coming from the Waitepuru Stream is ponding around homes behind the marae and has nowhere to go from there,'' he said.

``The two culverts that are in place to deal with water from the stream are not big enough to deal with heavy rainfall.''

An Environment Bay of Plenty manager, Peter Blackwood, said it was hard to keep both streams in their present position until a permanent solution was found.