Ohakune drains may cost $0.75m

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 14, Issue 681, 8 April 1997, Page 4

Ohakune drains may cost $0.75m

Ohakune' s poor stormwater drainage sy stem is holding back development, but is likely to cost more than $750,000 to fix, according to a consultant's report. However, council officers have not yet recommended such an expenditure and instead propose a range of measures costing about $30,000 as an interim measure. Acting chief executive Chris Ryan told the Waimarino Community Board at their April meeting that stormwater was a

major problem in all the towns in the district and that the council continually receives complaints. He said the infrastructure was not there to handle the problem and that the report was the first step in addressing the issue. He said it was a major problem, especially in autumn and winter, and was holding back development of the town. "It is at the crisis stage ip terms of the way people (neighbours) fight over problems," he told the board. "It is the single big-

gest asset management issue we face." Mr Ryan said the council had no ability to deal with cross-boundary issues of drainage and really had to look at the problem at a whole community level. The interim measures, which the board recommended be put to the annual plan, would include cleaning and shaping the Miro Street stormwater trench; cleaning culverts and creating a spillway in the embankment of the Park Avenue pond. Member Ellen Gould said drainage has always been a problem and that the early ski subdivisions were delayed because of stormwater problems. The consultants recommended investigating diverting the water from upstream of the railway line; review the capacity of the Park Avenue pond; lay a two metre pipeline along Lee Street to discharge into Mangawhero Stream; and review drainage for area north of Shannon Street and eastof Miro Street; upgrade the culvert under Mangawhero Tce; and "reticulate the proposed subdivision bounded by Shannon and Miro streets and Managawhero Terrace".