The Otago Regional Council has responded to concerns regarding maintenance of the Silver Stream in Mosgiel.
Last week Mosgiel-Taieri Community Board chairman Andrew Simms said local residents were concerned about the lack of progress maintaining the Silver Stream.
Otago Regional Council general manager of operations Dr Gavin Palmer said the council’s draft 2024-54 infrastructure strategy proposed $829,000 allocated to Silver Stream capacity maintenance.
The funding is spread across years 1 to 4 of the strategy, being the 2024-25 to 2027-28 financial years, with ongoing capacity maintenance incorporated as a routine activity from the 2028-29 financial year onwards, he said.
The draft infrastructure strategy forms a part of the council’s 2024-34 Long Term Plan, and community consultation on the long term plan was due to begin later
this month.
Mr Simms suggested an emergency fund of about $200,000 could be used to speed up flood mitigation, but Dr Palmer said there was no emergency fund for this purpose.
Mr Simms said he believed work on the Silver Stream would be be completed this summer, but Dr Palmer said there was no delay in work and planning for the area was under way.
Dr Palmer noted resource consent was required for some forms of vegetation work and for gravel removal.
Maintenance by vegetation clearing was planned for this financial year.
Planning for the Silver Stream capacity maintenance programme provided for within the draft infrastructure strategy was now under way.
Timing for starting this work would align to the 2024-34 long term plan, as approved by the council.
Financials for the current long term plan, combining capital expenditure and operating expenditure, over the Lower, East and West Taieri schemes were $4.27 million in 2021-22, $4.65m in 2022-23, and in the 2023-24 year to date were $2.58m.
The Silverstream capacity maintenance project sought to restore balance to the Silver Stream’s hydraulic capacity under today’s environmental considerations.
Site investigations would be under way shortly, identifying areas where capacity could be improved, including conducting aerial surveys.
Consenting would be required to undertake in-stream works and debris extraction.
The project would be staged in line with ecological considerations, but it was aimed to deliver benefits as early as possible.
Lower Taieri flood protection scheme maintenance activities included visual flood bank and waterway inspections, repairs to banks and structures, rabbit and pest plant control, fertilising, mowing and vegetation maintenance.
