Drilling under way in Edgecumbe to plan for new stopbank

Drill set up near where the Rangitaiki River breached its banks in April. Photo/Supplied

Planning for a new permanent stopbank in Edgecumbe is under way with a drill in place to get a detailed picture of what lies beneath the surface.

The geotechnical drill is set up on College Rd near the site where the Rangitaiki River breached its banks after a deluge from ex-cyclone Debbie in April.

The drill will gather information needed to plan for the construction of the new stopbank.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council engineering manager, Mark Townsend, said while the permanent stopbank solution wasn't expected to be built until later in the year the process had started with the data provided by the large-scale rig.

"We are in the process of planning for a new permanent stopbank along that stretch of College Rd to replace the floodwall that failed in April.

"We are already working with a number of the property owners in that section as we will need to purchase all or parts of some of those properties to build a stopbank and replace the road along that section."

Mr Townsend said the drilling would help build a clear picture of the sub-surface structure in that location so they could plan the stopbank rebuild.

There will be minor traffic disruptions for motorists but interruptions to traffic and noise issues will be kept to a minimum.

The drilling rig and excavators are expected to be on site until early in the week beginning June 19 weather depending.