Maintenance work to protect Avalon stopbank

Greater Wellington Regional Council will be carrying out maintenance work on Avalon stopbank located off Kennedy Good Bridge along the Te Awa Kairangi/Hutt River.

The work aimed at improving the reliability of the stopbank will involve trimming and removing trees, shrubs, weeds, accumulated garbage and, repairing minor furrows or holes. The site will have limited accessibility when the work starts, which is expected to be on 7 October 2019. We expect to complete the maintenance work by 8 November 2019.

Stopbanks are continuous mounds of earth and have grass on them. This stopbank, which is 90 metres long and 17 metres deep, was constructed according to specific engineering designs to prevent floodwaters from spilling over and damaging nearby private and public assets.

“Over time with more properties built behind this stopbanks, maintaining and improving the reliability of this structure is crucial in saving lives and assets,” says Colin Munn, Greater Wellington Flood Protection Team Leader, Operations, Delivery & Planning.

"Any stopbank failure will be traumatic and catastrophic. With changing climate patterns leading to more heavy rainfall events, these stopbanks are critical for protecting people and property."