Southland District mayor Rob Scott says members of the community are frustrated about Environment Southland’s perceived lack of action on gravel management – and he has issued a “please explain” to the regional council’s chairperson, Nicol Horrell.
Scott has asked Horrell to attend a Southland District Council meeting to discuss the regional council’s gravel management strategy.
While no meeting date has been set, Horrell said he and some of the council’s staff would be happy to attend.
After the 2020 floods, when the Mataura River recorded its highest ever level, Environment Southland said it was applying for a global consent to extract gravel in Southland’s waterways.
“We need to know about what they’re doing – it’s been going on for some time, and we need to get some context around action,’’ Scott said.
“Farmers are getting flooded with just a small amount of rain, and from an infrastructure point of view we need to be having practical communication, because roading and bridges are not cheap to fix.’’
Horrell said the regional council had moved a gravel island below Mataura, which made a “significant difference’’ in last month’s floods.
Last month the regional council was granted $370,000 for a two-year climate adaptation project aimed at identifying ways of better protecting high flood-risk areas in Southland.
Robyn Edie/Stuff
Southland mayor Rob Scott has asked Environment Southland to speak at a council meeting about gravel management. (File photo)
Horrell said the council was working on several scenarios to address concerns, such as beach skimming.
“If we get an event like the North Island floods, then we know our systems won’t cope and we need to look at things like retaining and capturing water, and gravel management is all part of that.’’
Southland Federated Farmers president Chris Dillon said there were problems with gravel on all of Southland’s rivers.
“It’s got worse since 2020 and all they [Environment Southland] have done is given gravel to the consents department to deal with, which makes it very difficult for the river managers to do their job,’’ he said.
“The problem is highlighted now, especially with last month’s flood, and everyone can see it. So why can’t we get some action?
In March, Southland Fish & Game manager Zane Moss said that as an affected party, Fish & Game had not signed off on the global consent for gravel extraction because it wanted the regional council to “take a more holistic approach to river management”.
Rachael Kelly/Stuff
Southland mayor Rob Scott says roading and bridges that have been damaged by flooding, like this washout on the Keowns Bridge Rd at Ardlussa, are not cheap for councils to fix.
“It’s perceived as being a very significant issue, but we want to move towards a science-led approach. And while we don’t have a bureaucratic opposition to gravel extraction, we would rather see it approached on a case-by-case basis rather than globally,’’ Moss said.
Dillon asked why one group “could hold everyone to ransom”.
Environment Southland’s general manager of integrated catchment management, Paul Hulse, responded to that question by saying: “There are a range of parties who hold differing and valid perspectives on issues relating to gravel management.’’
Since the 2020 flood, the regional council had progressed work on developing a strategic gravel management policy.
“It’s important that this is supported by all stakeholders to ensure we can respond to gravel management issues more effectively and approach gravel management as part of our wider river management work.’’
STUFF AND SUPPLIED
The South Island, particularly Southland and Queenstown, has been hammered by heavy rain.
It has engaged Professor Ian Fuller, a geomorphology specialist from Massey University, to provide expert guidance. It has also hosted workshops to progress the policy and was processing the data from a resource assessment using bathymetric LiDAR surveying along the length of the Mataura and Waikaia rivers.
However, Hulse said there was currently no funding mechanism to manage gravel buildups.
“This is something to be considered as part of the council’s next Long-term Plan.”
Consents have been granted to Environment Southland and a private contractor for gravel management trials on the Upukerora, Whitestone and Aparima rivers, which involve vegetation removal and “beach skimming”.
Guy Dowding/High Country Helicopters
There was extensive flooding on the Mataura River in northern Southland in September. (File photo)
“Due to the nature of beach extraction, less gravel is removed, but it is undertaken in a way that has potential to improve the natural character of the river, with the potential benefits of increased flood capacity and reduced bank erosion,” he said.
At this stage, Environment Southland largely relied on the contractor market to provide gravel extraction.
“This means if there is no demand or economic volumes in the localised areas of buildup, there are few options for managing that gravel.”
Environment Southland is not the only authority responsible for gravel management. Territorial authorities or infrastructure owners can also undertake this work, provided they have consents.
John Hawkins/Stuff
Environment Southland’s general manager of integrated catchment management, Paul Hulse. (File photo)
When asked if the amount of gravel in Southland’s rivers was too high, Hulse said managing gravel and the effects of it were part of Environment Southland’s overall approach to river management.
“In some places, a buildup of gravel provides benefits such as habitat for aquatic species and birds. But in other cases, it can create risks of erosion and damage to infrastructure,” he said.
“As well as localised buildups of gravel, we have also seen a deficit of gravel in the lower reaches of some rivers, particularly the Oreti River.”
