There could be some relief in sight for long-suffering residents along the flood-prone Heathcote River.
"The wetlands will be brilliant for this community. It will reduce flooding, especially on the lower reaches of the Heathcote, create new places to get outdoors and improve our biodiversity".
A multimillion-dollar floodplain and stormwater management project for the upper catchment has just been completed.
It's aimed at mitigating the amount of flooding downstream, reducing the flood risk.
New Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger opened the first section of the $50 million project.
Stage one, Hoon Hay basin project was officially opened to the public recently. Photo: Supplied by Christchurch City Council
More than 100,000 trees and 600,000 native plants were used to revegetate the area.
The development will eventually link up to three other stormwater storage and filtration basins under construction.
Once complete, the 109-hectare network of basins and wetlands will be able to store and filter more than a million cubic metres of flood water, during large rain events.
- Geoff Sloan, Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
