ORC is one of 10 councils receiving a share of $9.38 million from the government’s Regional Infrastructure Fund to upgrade early warning flood systems across the country. 

It is a national project which includes flood warning systems upgrades throughout New Zealand as well as providing new and reliable telemetered flood warning data.

The data will enable better flood forecasting and actions which reduce the impacts of adverse weather before, during, and after flood events. 

The funding is administered by Kānoa – Regional Economic Development & Investment Unit (Kānoa), with Canterbury Regional Council (Environment Canterbury) overseeing the program on behalf of councils.

ORC’s Team Leader Monitoring - Water Quantity Coastal Otago, Paul Hannah, says the 26 new stations are part of a wider program of works underway by ORC’s Engineering team.

“The primary purpose is to improve resilience and operational effectiveness during flood events for Coastal Otago, Lower Taieri and Lower Clutha areas.”

The increased information will benefit communities, especially with regard to infrastructure in low lying coastal areas, he says.

“We started installing the sensors about two weeks ago and are hoping to get all these monitoring stations installed by the end of July,” he says. 

Sensor installation . . . ORC Environmental Technicians, from ORC’s Coastal Otago Water Quantity Team, Rory Mearns and Garry DeRose in the process of installing a radar mast and a reference staff gauge at the Hawksbury lagoon mouth near Waikouaiti, north of Dunedin. Photo credit: Cam Moran/ORC

The sensors, costing $1250 plus GST per unit, are permanent and are powered by long life Lithium Thionyl batteries, and can transmit the data automatically via their inbuilt cellular modems.

Mr Hannah says the sensors measure the distance between the radar and the water surface using high-frequency electromagnetic (radar) waves, facing downward.

The data will assist with better management of estuary, river and stream mouths. The ORC will use this data for assessing whether river mouths need to be visited, and what works may need to be considered.

ORC’s General Manager, Science and Resilience, Tom Dyer, says “The sensors will enable better decision making around when river mouth opening is required, ultimately meaning better outcomes for communities through flood protection and the environment.”

Mr Hannah highlighted the sensors were manufactured locally, produced by Dunedin tech company Hilo, which was gaining international recognition for providing all-in-one tech solutions for environmental monitoring. 

“They pack a lot of up-to-the-minute technology in a very small cost-effective package,” he says.

The data will eventually be publicly accessible through ORCs environmental data web portal, Mr Hannah says. 

Estuaries and streams receiving sensors this month: 

• Tokomairiro Estuary at mouth 
• Sawmill Creek at Moturata Rd  
• Otokia Creek at Brighton Rd Bridge  
• Taylors Creek at mouth 
• Kaikorai Estuary at mouth 
• Tomohawk Lagoon at causeway 
• Tomahawk Lagoon Upper at causeway 
• Hoopers Inlet at mouth 
• Drivers Creek at mouth 
• Hawkesbury Lagoon at mouth 

The total 26 new water level recording stations, to be installed by end of month, including some flood-bank related areas: