Project Summary: South Taranaki Regional Erosion Support Scheme
Grant No: 09/04
Last updated:
Contact details
Name of Applicant Group: Taranaki Regional Council
Contact person: Don Shearman
Address: Taranaki Regional Council, Private Bag 713, Stratford 4352
Telephone: 06 765 7127
Email: don.shearman@trc.govt.nz
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Project details
Status: In progress
HCEF funding: $1,063,000
Total project funding: $3,108,000
Proposed start date: 2009/10
Proposed finish date: 2012/13
Region: Taranaki
Project description
The aim of STRESS is to reduce the effects of accelerated, erosion-induced sediment generation, in the Waitotara Catchment. This will be achieved through the change to more sustainable land uses or the implementation of soil conservation practices by landowners. The project is focussed on the Waitotara Catchment in South Taranaki, but also includes other "hot spot" areas in the region under pastoral farming.
The issue/opportunity
The Taranaki Regional Council's Sustainable Land Management Programme has provided on-going targeted investment to reduce the risk of accelerated erosion in the Taranaki hill country. Through comprehensive farm planning, Council works with individual landholders to implement measures that reduce the risk of accelerated erosion and the subsequent sediment that ends up in our waterways and marine environment.
In the Waitotara catchment, 60 percent of the land in private ownership is covered by farm plans addressing 60 percent of the land with a high erosion potential. This effort will now be complemented through the funding for this project which will result in soil conservation works implemented on the ground.
STRESS will accelerate and deliver an enhanced soil conservation programme targeting the Waitotara catchment and other "at risk" areas in the region. Landowners will contribute to poplar and willow planting, close-spaced planting of gullies, and retirement fencing of existing and reverting vegetation. By the end of four years, STRESS is expected to have achieved 733 hectares of soil conservation plantings, 400 hectares of close-spaced forestry plantings, 200 hectares of retirement and 40 kilometres of fencing.
The context/background
The Waitotara catchment is the largest in Taranaki at 119,570 hectares and represents 16 percent of the region. 80,303 hectares is in private ownership and the rest is Department of Conservation estate. The geology of the catchment consists of a mixture of sand country, alluvial river flats, marine terraces and tephra mantled downlands, mudstone and siltstone hill country, moderately and consolidated sand stone hill country and slump prone land. These landforms are typical of the lower North Island hill country formed from Upper Tertiary and Quaternary (recent) aged sediments that are susceptible to accelerated erosion.
The catchment has a history of storm events resulting in erosion, flooding and other storm related damage. Records of storm events in the Waitotara catchment document significant damage occurring in 1869, 1891,1903, 1904, 1924, 1936, 1971, 1990, 1999, 2004 and 2006. Landcare Research satellite imagery after the 2004 event, showed 465 hectares of landslides (slip scar and debris trails) occurred in the Waitotara catchment. This was estimated at $6,321,495 worth of damage on private land on an estimated 30 properties. Conservatively, overall damage in the catchment was estimated to be over $11,000,000.
The six kilometre stretch of SH3 crossing the Waitotara catchment is of strategic value in that it is the only road directly linking people, industries, services and facilities in Taranaki with major centres south of Taranaki. There are also approximately 250 kilometre of local roads that service the Waitotara catchment. These roads are generally adjacent to the watercourses or traverse the flood plains and are therefore at risk from flood events.
The coastal settlement of Wainui is situated at the mouth of the river and is inhabited by about 50 residents. Sediment discharge and deposition from the Waitotara River affects the coastal marine environment. The Waitotara township was evacuated in 2004 as a result of flooding.
Methods
Council will utilise its existing, three hill country land management officers (LMOs) to deliver the outcomes of STRESS. Officers will use land use capability mapping to prepare comprehensive farm plans for 10,000 hectares of hill country per year. In particular, emphasis will be on targeting the remaining landowners in the Waitotara catchment for new farm plans. Existing and new farm plans will be the basis for identifying property resources, developing and implementing works programmes that reduce erosion.
With the support of the project's hill country advisory group, a community meeting will be held in the catchment to publicly announce the opportunities under STRESS. Council already has an excellent relationship with its farm plan holders and from September through to December, will consult plan holders in the catchment to individually promote and develop their work programmes. From January onwards, plan holders outside of the catchment will be targeted.
Landholders will be kept updated on the progress through regular liaison with LMOs, Council's hill country newsletter and liaison with the hill country advisory group.
Contact for Enquiries
HCE Project Adviser
Natural Resources Group
MAF Policy
PO Box 2526
WELLINGTON 6140
Telephone: (04) 894 0632
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