[sh] Herbertville residents worry about debris build up under town's only bridge
Nikki Cumming worries about the possibility of another flood if the Wainui River isn't regularly cleaned of debris. Photo: RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham
- Tiny coastal village that flooded during Cyclone Gabrielle has debris building up in river, leaving locals worried
- Regional council says work to clear this will begin soon
- District council says no money for new bridge over river.
Residents of the tiny coastal village of Herbertville are anxious about the build up of debris in the river running under the only bridge in and out of town.
The regional council says work is happening to clear the waterway, but until the trees and other waste are removed one woman who lives next to the river says she gets nervous every time the level rises.
An hour's drive from Dannevirke on the lower North Island's east coast, Herbertville flooded during Cyclone Gabrielle in February 2023.
Residents say logs, slash and other debris dammed the bridge over the Wainui River at the village entrance, and water poured into the pub, parts of the campground and other properties.
Nikki Cumming was living in the campground then. Now, she and her husband Andy have moved over the road to a property next to the bridge and next to the river.
"You do watch the river more than you would normally. It puts your levels of anxiety up. You're very careful. If [the rain is] heavy you do find yourself coming out in the middle of the night just having a look."
Trees, logs and other debris is visible in the Wainui River from the bridge in and out of Herbertville. Photo: RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham
The house they now live in was not damaged in the cyclone, but the rest of the property was. Plants are growing in the silt, and a small shed sits jammed against a tree after it was carried there by the floodwater, a reminder of Gabrielle's fury.
Even in the section of the river running past her property, there are trees in the narrow channel, and locals worry about this and forestry slash upstream.
Cumming saw contractors months ago. They told her they were going to clear the river, but she had heard nothing since.
She said initially after the cyclone clearing work was done.
"They did take out a couple of logs afterwards, but I don't know whether it became too hard or we're too remote or because it was a problem getting equipment out here, but you just don't hear. There's no follow up."
This small shed was swept into Cumming's property during Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo: RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham
Although only about 30 people live in Herbertville, the population swells by hundreds during the holiday season.
This adds to Cumming's worry.
"This river goes and that's the whole village that can be affected in lots of ways. We're just getting ourselves back as a little community, with the pub reopening, and people are coming and holidaying here," she said.
Long-time district resident Top Gollan is also keen to have the river cleared of debris, having seen more then one flood.
"We shifted the golf course down here in 1982 and we had a flood about two weeks after. The river was flowing through under the bridge and going out to sea. It made a hell of a mess of our golf course.
"This time [in Cyclone Gabrielle] the waters never got down to the end of the camping ground. It was coming through the village. The whole blimmin' village was under water."
Horizons Regional Council area engineer Anthony Mason said a crew would be out this week to clear debris.
"There's definitely some debris just upstream from the Herbertville bridge that's probably the main concern. We did have that programmed in to remove in December, but our access was restricted due to some crops."
That river access issue was now sorted, and Mason said an aerial survey of the waterway was also set to happen.
The council did one after Cyclone Gabrielle, and between $50,000 and $100,000 was spent on clearance work in the area.
"The Wainui River's known not to be very kind to machines just due to how soft the river bed is. You have to be very very careful even just pulling the odd tree out. Diggers can sink pretty quickly."
Mason said because the council covered such a vast area the best way for it to learn of risks was for people to alert it.
And while the regional council is responsible for the river, the Tararua District Council takes care of the bridge and its surrounds within 20 metres.
The quiet beach and coastal fishing attract hundreds of people to the village during the holiday season. Photo: RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham
Its group manager for infrastructure Hamish Featonby said the bridge was regularly inspected, most recently on 25 March.
"There were no issues noted with the waterway and there are no faults loaded in the system," he said.
"What we found during Cyclone Gabrielle was that the slash that was generated was due to trees being ripped out from river banks. Some of these were Horizons-planted willows."
Featonby said a "known risk" with the bridge was that it spanned relatively low over the waterway. However, a rebuild would cost millions, which there was not the budget for.
"If this bridge was to fail, the response would most likely be to put a Bailey bridge up as temporary access, if available."
He said raising the bridge would in effect be similar to replacing it, and the NZ Transport Agency would probably not co-fund the work without significant justification. The council funding the work itself was also unlikely.
"This would mean a significant rates increase for the whole district and it would have to be approved through the annual plan process and consulted on by the community, so unlikely to go ahead."
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