Letters to the editor: Council engineers constantly monitoring flood defences

Water flows into Edgecumbe through a breach in the Rangitaiki River stopbank in 2017. Photo / NZME

In response to Ross W. Ogle (Letters, June 3) the Bay of Plenty Regional Council wanted to provide an update on some of the flood protection work we have been doing.

As a region that knows the devastating effects of flooding, our thoughts are with everyone down south.

The 2017 extreme weather events caused significant damage to our river and drainage networks here in the Bay of Plenty. We've been working hard to repair the damage and have so far completed repairs at 496 of the 520 identified sites and expect to complete the remaining in the coming months.

Alongside these repairs we have been making steady progress on the floodway and spillway project near Edgecumbe.

This will divert floodwater away from the Rangitāiki River in major events and is expected to be completed by the end of next year.

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We have also completed the first of three floodwall upgrades on the Rangitāiki River. The construction at the second site near Thornton School is expected to start this month and we are discussing the design of the Edgecumbe site, which is downstream from the main breach site, with directly affected landowners.

Our engineers are also constantly monitoring, maintaining and upgrading our $370 million investment in flood defences around the region.

Mark Townsend
Engineering Manager
Bay of Plenty Regional Council

Use of words

So now we are not allowed to use the word ''mufti'' any more (News, June 4).

Being a member of the armed forces, mufti was another word for civvies which normally meant shirt and tie, slacks, jacket and clean shoes - so just the opposite of dress down.

Talking of words, can I have ''gay'' back please? Back in the dim distant past I enjoyed being a ''gay'' bachelor - happy, cheerful, entertaining women in my own house.

Now it has been given an entirely new meaning.

Robert England
Pāpāmoa

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