Flooding: Hamilton Glenview streets under water after heavy rain breaks stormwater pond

Heavy rain last night has caused flooding in Glenview. Photo / Brian Jackson

Glenview streets have flooded after heavy rain last night contributed to the failure of stormwater ponds on the outskirts of Hamilton.

The ponds and dam are privately owned, but managed by Waipā District Council.

Water services manager Martin Mould says the stormwater ponds are normally used to hold water and protect downstream areas from flooding, so experts are on-site to investigate what happened.

“It’s the first time this infrastructure has failed.

“[There aren’t] any further details yet on what had happened or why but last night’s heavy rain was an inevitable factor. We’ll get to the bottom of it very quickly but right now our focus is limiting any further flooding and making it safe.”

The council was advised of the failure about 9am today, and Hamilton City Council staff have been out dealing with the flooding on the impacted streets.

Mould says the ponds probably failed during the night or in the early morning after the heavy rain. He says he can’t estimate how much water has escaped.