That is according to Waitaki District Council (WDC) director of support services Paul Hope, who presented a report on the stormwater issue on the Kurow main street to the Ahuriri Community Board on Monday.
"We’ve done quite a bit of work to investigate this issue and it’s not a council issue, it’s an NZTA issue," he said.
The council had found the NZTA system did not have an outfall, meaning it backed up in rain events, causing the flooding on the corner of Wynyard and Bledisloe Sts.
Part of the pipe had collapsed, but that had since been repaired by council contractors.
There was no evidence that tree bark had been causing any blockages either, according to the report.
"An interim solution could be to connect the current NZTA system to the WDC pipe on the eastern side of Wynyard St.
"This is higher than the NZTA pipe but is lower than the NZTA mud tanks.
"In heavy rain events, it is likely the WDC system may not be able to keep up with volumes," the report said.
The community board voted in favour of a short-term solution, connecting the NZTA pipe to the council’s existing stormwater infrastructure.
This will cost just under $9000, from the Kurow township amenity fund.
Mr Hope said there might still be some issues with the solution, but to fully fix it would cost "significantly more".
"It might still back up but hopefully it would mean it would clear a lot faster."
The transport agency has been approached for comment following the meeting.
