The project, with an estimated price tag of $1.3 million, would be "beneficial" to flood-prone central Queenstown, but would not eliminate the flood hazard, Otago Regional Council environmental engineering and natural hazards director Gavin Palmer said yesterday.
In late January, the Environment Court granted the consents required for the construction and maintenance of a 700m-long training line, which will extend about 400m from the delta wall, where the Shotover meets the Kawarau River.
The line is intended to prevent the Shotover River from entering the Kawarau River on the true right, or Queenstown side, of the delta.
The court had earlier granted consents for gravel extraction to achieve an ideal delta profile to reduce flooding in Queenstown.
Dr Palmer said the the gravel extraction would be carried out along with building the training line structure and would involve the removal of three main islands of built-up vegetation.
It was the first time the ORC had held a consent to extract gravel. It will last for 35 years, for the purposes of water management.
Training line construction would take place in winter, when water flows were lowest.
"It won't take a long time; the job in itself is not that unusual. The structure is relatively simple," Dr Palmer said.
Asked if the council would call for construction tenders, he said the method of procurement had not been finalised. It was not yet known how many contractors would be needed.
