Posted on January 11, 2018
By Delwyn Dickey, stuff
Funding is needed to dredge the Mahurangi River.
They have a resource consent to dredge 120,000 cubic metres of silt out of the Mahurangi River and a local property lined up to stash the dredgings.
But after years of work to get the project off the ground, raising funds for the $4 million project is causing headaches for the Mahurangi River Restoration Trust, with little money raised so far.
“People think Auckland Council or government should be paying. While we’re still doing everything we can to get government funding, this is a community driven project and we’ll never get it cheaper,” trust member Peter Thompson said.
“In other parts of the country these type of initiatives are being done by communities, rather than council’s,” chairwoman of Matakana Coast Tourism and restoration trust chairwoman Penny Webster said.
“This type of project would be a low priority for most councils,” the former Rodney mayor said.
Many local business and professional people have given their time and expertise for free, or at no cost, including gifting a site to dump the dredgings near Dawson Creek, trust member Peter Thompson said.
Combined savings have seen an estimated project cost of over $10 million – to dump the dredgings at sea, whittled down to around $4 million, he said.
Trust members are frustrated that even with all the good will in the business community for the project, including from the Rodney Local Board who have allocated $20,000 annually for the last three years with one more year to go, and with resource consent fees wavered, the project is struggling to attract serious funding.
“Being able to get more boats, especially a ferry into the Warkworth basin would be a huge tourism bonus for the whole area,” Webster said.
Cruise ships passengers often won’t come north because of traffic issues so a ferry from the CBD would be ideal, she said.
And while Auckland Transport appeared to have gone cold on the idea – dredging would make a fast ferry service for the area possible, operating from near Dawson Creek and connecting to the Auckland CBD for commuters and tourists, Thompson said.
Land clearing and development has caused huge amounts of silt to clog up the river.
During 10 year flooding events, 14,000 tonnes of silt is estimated to be dumped in the Mahurangi river and a massive 38,000 tonnes during a 50 year event.
At low tide the historic scow the Jane Gifford, had a metre of water under her in 2009. Now she sits on the riverbed.
He laments a $2 million dredging fund he reckons was in place under the former Rodney District Council, is no longer available under Auckland Council.
Better water quality for recreation and oyster farms in the Mahurangi Harbour, and tourism options for the broader Warkworth/Matakana area with the America’s cup, are some benefits Thompson believes dredging could bring.
A Givealittle page has been set up – Restore the Mahurangi River.
Source: stuff
