City’s infrastructure holds up through wild weather

The worst of the stormy weather has passed over the South and Dunedin seemed to come through it in sound shape.

The city’s infrastructure appeared to have coped well with heavy rain, the Dunedin City Council said yesterday.

There were some reports of surface flooding, the Water of Leith swelled in North Dunedin, seaweed washed up on to the Esplanade at St Clair and water accumulated on sportsgrounds, but by yesterday afternoon there had not been reports of major slips, scours or other significant damage.

Most surface flooding in Clutha was confined to coastal areas, the Clutha District Council reported in a weather notice yesterday afternoon.

The MetService forecast scattered showers in Dunedin and Clutha for today.

The weather deteriorated across the South from Tuesday evening, as the region was on the receiving end of the tail of a deep low.

The Otago Regional Council recorded 69.5mm of rain in Dunedin on Tuesday and 47.5mm up to 6.30pm yesterday.

One weather station in North Otago, Kauru at the Dasher, had a reading as high as 89.5mm on Tuesday.

All DCC sportsgrounds were closed yesterday.

Contractors for the city council were busy from Tuesday evening responding to reports of minor surface flooding and residents were asked to clear debris from any blocked mud tanks near their homes.

The council advised people to stay out of the city’s coastal and other waterways and not to collect shellfish after the rain.

Clutha Mayor Bryan Cadogan said water was over the bonnets of cars at a Milton scrap yard yesterday, and much more water than usual flowed through the Tokomairaro River.

However, the region seemed to miss the full brunt of severe weather conditions, he said.

Some people in Dunedin had their roofs inspected, as leaks had become evident.

Robertson Roofing co-owner Daryl Robertson said a lot of buckets and towels were deployed. Clear weather was needed to make progress with repair work, he said.

Plumbers were busy.

Foleys Dunedin service manager Mark Reiber said staff had to up the ante and reprioritise some work.

Winter, staff illness and a significant workload created "a perfect storm" for the firm.

"In any week we’re constantly reprioritising and weather events compound that," he said.

A pool of water formed in Ashmore St near Halfway Bush School in Dunedin from Tuesday evening and the road was closed.

Ashmore St residents Aneesh and Jancy Stephen’s lawn was under water yesterday morning.

That flooding appeared to be the result of a partly blocked pipe being inundated by water, a city council spokesman said.

Pumping had dropped the water level significantly.

grant.miller@odt.co.nz