Thursday, April 11, 2024

Heavy rain warning in place - Keep up to date - Continuing coverage

Bus Route 5 returned to normal

Service


For those going home this evening from work or school, Route 5 will return to normal service and travel through Ruby Bay. 


The road had debris from the storm last night making it impassable for the majority of today. 


From 3pm, the bus route will return to normal.

***

Stafford Drive, Ruby Bay closed 

12 April 2024

Tasman District Council

Stafford Drive is currently closed from the toilet block through to the bottom of the cliffs. Contractors are working to clear storm debris from the road but it is likely to be closed for most of the day.

***


Boil water notice - Eighty-Eight Valley water supply - Tasman District Council

12 Apr 2024, 08:04

Tasman District Council has issued a precautionary Boil Water Notice for residents on the Eighty-Eight water supply due to the forecasted prolonged heavy rainfall in the catchment. This has begun to affect the clarity (turbidity) of the source water (Parkes Stream) being supplied to the treatment plant making it harder to treat with chlorination.

To limit the amount of low-quality water drawn into your tanks, we recommend conserving water use wherever possible.

You are advised to boil all your water for the following purposes:

  • Drinking water
  • Food preparation
  • Mixing cold beverages
  • Utensil washing
  • Brushing teeth
  • Pets
  • Ice making

What to do if a boil water notice is in place

We suggest that you treat your water in some way before drinking it. There are two options to make your water safe to drink:

  • Boil all of the water that you drink. Do this just by bringing the water to a boil in your kettle or keep it at a rolling boil in a saucepan for 1 minute; or 
  • Hand chlorinate your storage tank with household bleach. 

You can also choose to drink bottled water, although this is the most expensive option. 

Note: nearly all household filters provide no protection against bacterial contamination. If you have an under the sink carbon filter or cartridge filter, you still need to boil your water. 

If you have a high quality cartridge filter followed by an Ultraviolet disinfection unit which is well-maintained and supply water to your entire house, there is no need to boil your water. 

The boil water notice will be lifted once the source water recovers and the quality of water leaving the treatment plant has improved. An update will be available once we are assured that the water quality has returned to normal.

What to do once the Boil Water Notice is lifted? 

It is recommended that you run all your cold taps for 5 minutes before using the water and flush any appliances.

If you have been away while a boil water notice has been in place, run your taps for 15 minutes to clear old water from your lateral.  
  
You may wish to chlorinate the water in your tank. For a 20,000 litre tank, 660 ml of plain household bleach will give you a chlorine residual of 1mg/l, which will provide good disinfection. Leave the water for at least 30 minutes for the chlorine to work and to mix around the tank.  

For further information please call us on 03 543 8400. Thank you for your co-operation. 

***

NZTA/Waka Kotahi Traffic Bulletin: UPDATE:


Top of the South/lower North Island drivers, don’t let bad weather get you in a spin


Update 12 April 5 am:
State Highway 6 Rocks Rd reopened around 2:20 am following its earlier closure.

 

The route was closed for approximately five hours.

 

All highways across Nelson/Tasman and Marlborough are currently open and weather conditions are forecast to improve.

However, flooding and fallen trees are affecting SH6 Lower Buller Gorge to the intersection with SH65. Road users are urged to use caution on this route and drive to the conditions.

 

The heavy rain and wind means the risk of slips, rockfalls, and treefalls remains on roads across the region, and drivers must continue to drive with care.


Contractors are on call and monitoring the network. Drivers are encouraged to report any state highway issues or hazards to NZTA/Waka Kotahi on 0800 4 HIGHWAYS (0800 44 44 49).


***


11 April 2024

NZTA Waka Kotahi Traffic Bulletin: UPDATE: Top of the South/lower North Island drivers, don’t let bad weather get you in a spin (SH6 ROCKS RD CLOSED)


Update 9:30 pm:

State Highway 6 Rocks Rd in Nelson is now closed due to flooding.


The highway is closed between Bisley Avenue and Russell Street. It is expected to remain closed until the high tide period ends, around 2 am tomorrow (Friday) morning.

 

Updates on the highway’s status can be found on the NZTA/Waka Kotahi website.




***

Evacuation alert issued for part of Spring Creek, close to the Wairau River, near Blenheim


Marlborough Civil Defence and Emergency Management (CDEM) is advising some residents in the township of Spring Creek near Blenheim to evacuate their homes by 9.00 am tomorrow morning. Find out more and see map


Evacuation Area Spring Creek near Blenheim. Credit Marlborough District Council.


Marlborough Civil Defence and Emergency Management (CDEM) is advising some residents in the township of Spring Creek near Blenheim to evacuate their homes by 9.00 am tomorrow morning.


Heavy rain in the upper Wairau catchment is expected to raise the Wairau River level significantly tomorrow, Friday 12 April, from around 9.00 am to 5.00 pm. At Spring Creek the river is expected to reach between 3,300 and 3,600 cubic metres (cumecs) per second after 9.00 am, and residents of Dodson, Hathaway and March streets, and part of Ferry Road, are advised to relocate as a precaution for the day. The Peninsula Road stop bank is potentially compromised due to previous storm events and seismic activity.

Twenty Civil Defence and iwi volunteers are door knocking and leafletting 70 homes this evening. Residents can evacuate tonight if they wish.

Marlborough CDEM advises:

  • Stay with friends or family first, make contact sooner rather than later
  • Have a grab bag ready
  • Take a change of clothes and sleeping bags or blankets for each household member
  • Take prescription medications, car and house keys and a phone charger
  • Keep your mobile phone on and charged so you can receive calls and Antenno alerts
  • Take your pets with you - they are your responsibility.

Peninsula Road is closed between Gouland and Ferry roads in Spring Creek. The Wairau Bar Road and Bothams Bend Road may be closed tomorrow as well.

For more information follow Council’s Facebook page and any instructions regarding evacuation, or phone Marlborough CDEM on 03 520 7400 if you need assistance.

The public can monitor river levels via Flood Watch at https://hydro.marlborough.govt.nz/floodwatch/ download Council’s Antenno app for alerts or go to www.marlborough.govt.nz

11 Apr 2024, 5:39 pm publication time.

Disclaimer

The information in this media statement was correct at time of publication. Changes in circumstances after the time of publication may impact on the accuracy of the information.

***

NZTA Bulletin for 11 April 2024:


UPDATE: Top of the South/lower North Island drivers, don’t let bad weather get you in a spin


Update 11 April 2:30 pm:

Heavy rain is affecting the top of the South Island, so the State highway networks across Nelson/Tasman and Marlborough are being monitored closely.

 

Contractors are monitoring highways and areas prone to flooding – crews will be on call overnight.

 

The most intense rainfall is anticipated in Golden Bay and Tākaka. Motorists using State Highway 60 and the Tākaka Hill should take this into account when planning their journeys.

 

With the high tide period coinciding with the bad weather, the status of State Highway 6 Rocks Road will be carefully monitored. It remains probable that the route will be closed tonight between 10 pm and 2 am.

 

NZTA/waka Kotahi urges drivers to take care on the roads and check the weather and road conditions before they travel. Bad weather can see roads and highways closed at short notice.

·              Highway Conditions – Nelson/Marlborough

·              Driving to the conditions

·              Metservice Weather Warnings

 

Road users should avoid driving through flooded areas. Floodwaters can hide road damage, and currents may be far stronger than they appear. Don’t put yourself and those who may have to rescue you at risk.


***


Heavy rain warning in place


Tasman District Council has issued an update on weather warnings at 12:29 11 Apr 2024 as follows:



Update 11 April 2024

The Heavy Rain Warnings and Strong Wind Watch from MetService remain in place and the rainfall amounts and intensities in the advice are unchanged.

This means we continue to advise that main river flows around annual flood level are likely for Golden Bay rivers (Aorere/Tākaka) with peak times in the lower catchment likely to be prior to midnight.

For the Riwaka/Brooklyn area, we are not expecting high flows, rivers draining the lower western Motueka hills being well below annual flood level.

However we are seeing some increased intensities forecast for the southern end of the Richmond Ranges, affecting the Wairoa/Waimea River. So here we expect to get at least annual floods and perhaps up to a 5-year flood. It would be prudent to extend this to anywhere along the Richmond Ranges, so would include the Maitai River in this advice also.

Peak flows in lower catchments in these areas are likely to be after midnight, possibly between 2-4am. An annual flood should be well contained within the active channel of the river, whilst a 5-year flood in these areas would be likely to be well across all river berms.

No thunderstorms are forecast in this front, but there could still be isolated heavy downpours in any of these areas causing impacts for small streams.

For the rest of the Tasman District, some isolated heavy falls may occur, but rainfall totals are lower, around 50-80mm.

There is a high tide (4.4m) at midnight and also strong winds for this time, so likely to be some waves set up from this. However storm surge risk is likely to be low as this is not associated with low air pressure from this system.

Keep up to date with the latest MetService warnings here

(external link)


***


Dovedale Rural Water Supply - boil water reminder and request to conserve water


11 Apr 2024, 12:05 (Tasman District Council)

With the prolonged heavy rain event we are currently experiencing, we would like to remind Dovedale residents that the Dovedale Water Supply Scheme is on a permanent boil water notice. 

We also ask that you conserve water as much as possible during this event. The treatment plant is operating at a reduced flow rate due to poor stream conditions, so conserving water will assist us to continue to supply water from the reservoirs.

Please ensure that water is boiled for all the following purposes:

  • Drinking water
  • Food preparation
  • Mixing cold beverages
  • Utensil washing
  • Brushing teeth
  • Pets drinking water
  • Ice making  

How to boil water for drinking

Bring water to a rolling boil (where bubbles appear in the centre and do not disappear when the water is stirred) for one minute or boil a full electric jug until it switches off. Cool the water (do not use ice cubes to do this) and pour into clean container with a lid. Refrigerate until needed.

Note: nearly all household filters provide no protection against bacterial contamination. If you have an under the sink carbon filter or cartridge filter, you still need to boil your water.

If you have a high-quality cartridge filter followed by an Ultraviolet disinfection unit, which are well-maintained and supply water to your entire house, there is no need to boil your water.

For further information please call the Council on 03 543 8400.

Please pass this onto your neighbours, as we do not have contact information for everyone on the scheme and they may not use the internet. Thank you for your co-operation.



Pigeon Post News, Richmond.

MetService Weather News Release

Richmond weather 11 April 2024.


Severe weather system continues to affect New Zealand



11/04/2024

Covering period of Thursday 11th - Monday 15th April



New Zealand is still in the grips of a large weather system that has delivered heavy rain to the western South Island this week. Further heavy rain is expected on Thursday and extends to other parts of the South Island throughout the day and onto the North Island by the evening and into Friday. This weather system also brings thunderstorms, strong winds, and snow over higher parts of the South Island before the end of the working week when the weather starts to settle.


The western South Island is now in the second wave of heavy rain, which is expected for the bulk of Thursday. An Orange Heavy Rain Warning remains until 3am Friday, with a further 150 to 200 mm of rain expected in the ranges south of Hokitika and lesser amounts near the coast. The heaviest rain is forecast to ease late Thursday afternoon and evening, however showers and possible thunderstorms continue through into early Friday morning and periods of more intense rainfall are possible. 


That is not the only area of concern. Southland, Tasman and inland Marlborough are also expected to be affected by heavy rain from this weather system as it passes through and are under Orange Heavy Rain Warnings until early Friday morning.


MetService meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane says: “Areas such as Southland and Clutha don’t need very large rainfall amounts to start seeing impacts from that rain, so we are keeping a close eye on developments there. Additionally, the top of the South Island will feel the compound effects of rain and northerly winds, and a Strong Wind Watch is in place there.”


The weather system will also make itself felt over the North Island. Having started in Northland already this morning, wet weather is expected to move over the rest of the North Island on Thursday night into Friday, and Heavy Rain Watches and Orange Warnings are in place for areas most likely to be affected.


“Of particular concern will be thunderstorm activity, which may bring periods of more intense rainfall. A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is in place for Auckland, Northland, Coromandel, parts of Bay of Plenty and the Waikato where brief, localised surface flooding may be possible. Friday morning will likely be the wettest time, and it would be a good idea to factor that into commute plans,” Makgabutlane advised.


Stronger winds will also feature on Thursday and Friday across the country. Several Strong Wind Watches are in place, including over Auckland, Northland and the Coromandel Peninsula for strong northeasterly winds that may approach severe gale in exposed areas. “The combination of very wet roads and gusty winds may make road travel extra challenging,” Makgabutlane cautions.


Additionally, a rapid cooldown is expected Thursday night into Friday for the eastern and lower South Island, bringing snowfall to elevated areas of Otago and Canterbury above 600 metres. Road Snowfall Warnings have been issued for the Milford Road and the Crown Range Road, with a sharp temperature drop anticipated in eastern areas.


“This is an evolving system. For the latest updates and alerts, people are encouraged to monitor MetService's official channels and heed any directives from local authorities.”


“As we move into the weekend, things start to settle down, a trend which continues into next week.” Makgabutlane says.


MetService.


Pigeon Post News, Richmond.


Wednesday, April 10, 2024

BREAKING NEWS - Waka Kotahi Traffic Bulletin: State Highway 6 Rocks Road in Nelson - MAY BE CLOSED - Thursday night

 

Rocks Road may be closed tomorrow night Thursday 11 Apr. 2024.


UPDATE: Top of the South/lower North Island drivers, don’t let bad weather get you in a spin


Update 2:45 pm 10 Apr 2024:

Due to the weather and tidal conditions forecast for Nelson, it’s anticipated State Highway 6 Rocks Road in Nelson will need to be closed between 10 pm and 2 am tomorrow night (Thursday, 11 April). 

 

Light vehicles will be able to use local road detours. Heavy vehicles will need to use Waimea Road.

 

Drivers travelling between Nelson and Stoke/Richmond must factor this into their travel plans.

 

NZTA/Waka Kotahi encourages all drivers to check road and weather conditions before they travel.


Update 11:30 am

With the Metservice updating its weather warnings for the Lower North and Upper South Islands, drivers must be prepared for potential for challenging driving conditions over the next few days.

 

A Heavy Rain Warning is now in place for Tasman northwest of Motueka, the Bryant Range near Nelson, and inland Marlborough west of Blenheim and north of the Awatere River. Significant rain is forecast from tomorrow afternoon (Thursday) through to early Friday morning.

 

A Strong Wind Watch has also been issued for Buller, Nelson/Tasman, Marlborough and Wellington. Northerly winds may approach severe gales in exposed places.

 

Truck and van drivers, motorcyclists, and towing vehicles must take care, particularly in areas where strong winds are known to affect traffic –  such as State Highway 2 Remutaka Hill and  State Highway 1 Transmission Gully Wainui Saddle.

 

Where wet weather is forecast, drivers must drive to the conditions and be alert to the possibility of slips, rockfalls, and localised flooding. Check your speed, watch your following distances, use your headlights if visibility is poor, and allow extra time for your journeys.

 

Drivers are encouraged  to check the weather and road conditions before they travel, as bad weather can see roads closed at short notice.





Pigeon Post News, Richmond.

Safety works on track

 

Completed SH60/Tasman View Rd intersection works. Credit NZTA.


State Highway 60 Ruby Bay Bypass safety works on track


Good progress is being made on a project that will make the Ruby Bay Bypass on State Highway 60 (SH60) a safer road.

 

Work has been underway since February, to install flexible road safety barriers between the Dominion Road and Harley Road intersections, as well as building a new right turn bay for traffic at the Tasman View Road intersection.

 

Emma Speight, Director of Regional Relationships, says it is great to have the right-turn bay finished ahead of schedule.

“Thanks to good weather, contractors have finished the right turn bay at the SH60/Tasman View Road intersection earlier than planned, and it reopened on 28 March.”

 

“Crews have also been completing widening works and installing new side barriers along the different sections of the Bypass. The road widening creates the space needed to put the flexible road safety barriers in place,” Ms Speight says.

 

 

Extending the sections of daytime work sites.

Ms Speight says the work has had some challenges.

 

“While preparing the road for widening, contractors have had to manage and work around underground utilities. It has been a little more difficult than anticipated.”

 

“To manage this and ensure the project stays on track, contractors will be extending the sections they are working on,” Ms Speight says.

 

Instead of two one-kilometre sections of contraflow and temporary speed limits, from 10 April, there will be three sections of contraflow.

 

They will be on SH60 between the Dominion Road and Harley Road intersections. The highway will remain open in both directions. Contraflow occurs when vehicles use lanes normally used by traffic travelling in the opposite direction. 

 

“The other two sites will be shortened, and the third site will be reduced each night and weekend to just a shoulder closure,” Ms Speight says.

 

She says people should plan for approximately seven-minute delays when travelling through the site.


Tasman View Road intersection work. Ctrdit NZTA.

 

Nighttime road closures from mid-May

Nighttime road closures will be needed to allow the installation of the barriers in mid-May for three weeks. A  detour will be available. Further updates with specific details will be provided before this work begins.

 

New flexible road safety barrier system

As part of the barrier installation, NZTA/Waka Kotahi is evaluating a new flexible road safety barrier product called ROBOS, which has met the requirements of the latest road safety hardware protocols.

 

It will be used on about four kilometres of the approximately seven-kilometre project length. This small section is a controlled environment suitable for evaluating and monitoring.



The evaluation will be run over two years and focuses on the following:

  • ROBOS’ construction methodology.
  • The productivity rate of installing the barrier system.
  • The way the barrier is installed to see if it will provide less disruption to people traveling on the road, and if it is a safer installation method.
  • Maintenance of the barrier system.


Ms Speight says it’s important to always look at new ways and products that can bring innovation and efficiency.


“We want better health and safety outcomes for the public, fewer travel disruptions on state highways, and improved value for money with our infrastructure investments.”



Pigeon post News, Richmond.


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