ORC - HEAD OF THE LAKE UPDATE

Apr 10, 2022

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HEAD OF LAKE WAKATIPU - COMMUNITY UPDATE 17 | APRIL 2022

Kia ora koutou
We are nearing the completion of the Glenorchy liquefaction and Rees River Flow studies. Below are updates on these and some indicative timelines for when we can share the findings. We hope that when we can share, we can do so in person rather than online, which is currently how the ORC (and most organisations) are engaging with communities.
In the meantime, an Otago University masters student has taken an interest in the Head of the Lake project, and how we are working together - ORC and community - to understand the unique geography of this beautiful part of the world and how we can prepare for change.
Keep reading to hear about Jamie's Mackenzie's research. 

Helping Otago Uni research
Jamie MacKenzie, a master’s student from the Department of Geography at the University of Otago, will be undertaking research into community engagement on ORC’s Natural Hazards Adaptation Strategy for the Head of Lake Wakatipu area, including Glenorchy and Kinloch. 
Although Jamie’s research is independent, we are very supportive of her work and will be interested in Jamie’s results, as we're sure you will too.
You may see Jamie over the next couple months observing ORC’s work to communicate and discuss new hazard investigation findings. She is also interested in talking to you, the community, in particular members who have attended any information sessions run by the ORC.

 

If you would like to learn more or be part of this research, you can email Jamie on macja424@student.otago.ac.nz, or get in touch with us. 
Please feel free to introduce yourself to Jamie (pictured here), as she's very keen to hear about your experiences and perspectives.

Glenorchy liquefaction study update

Since our last update, the study has been through an independent review, looking at the investigation of liquefaction and lateral spreading hazards at Glenorchy. Several additional assessments were recommended to be undertaken, so the geotechnical consultants will now work to complete these over the next month before this report is finalised. 
We aim to share and discuss the findings of the study before the end of June, and we hope to do this in person, depending on COVID framework restrictions. This will include a presentation of findings by our consultant teams, with the opportunity for the community to ask questions, and provide feedback. More information on this, including dates, are to come. 
All technical reports and consultant presentations will also be available on our project web page.

Rees River flood hazard study update

The draft report summarising hydraulic modelling and flood hazard assessments is also expected to be completed this month.
The next step is that the report will be peer reviewed by an independent consultant, then finalised before being made public. We will aim to share the findings with you also before the end of June at same time as the liquefaction study.

Update on Rees River flow recorder

 

Late last year, the ORC Environmental Monitoring team installed a new monitoring station to measure flows in the Rees River, upstream of Glenorchy, near Queenstown.
The new Rees River flow recorder has now been operating for nearly four months, the river flows have been relatively low through this time, apart from the higher-flow event in early-February.
Having a dataset of measured river flows, in particular for high-flow events, will improve the accuracy in estimates of the size and likelihood of Rees River flows, and improve understanding of the area’s hydrology and flood hazards.  
As well as enable residents in the area to observe and monitor river flows themselves, it provides early warning for Civil Defence preparedness.
The near real-time flow data is now available to view online at ORC WaterInfo. You can also click the site on the overview map of all ORC sites at this link

Workshop report-back to come
In our last update, we shared information about the collaborative workshop session which included our Natural Hazards and Engineering teams, and QLDC Infrastructure and Roading teams, with three invited consultants providing specialist advice. We got together to discuss possible strategies for mitigation of floodplain hazards at the Dart and Rees rivers and Glenorchy. The mitigation options were suggested by the community during our drop-in sessions last year. 
A consultant is now compiling a report to summarise all discussions. 
As with our other technical reports, we will provide the opportunity to discuss and provide feedback on the report.

Head of Lake Wakatipu newsletter sign-up

If you are currently not receiving our monthly newsletters, you can sign up here. Archives of past newsletters can also be found here under the Newsletter archives tab.

 Contacts

If you have any questions or would like to get in touch with us, please email us at headofthelake@orc.govt.nz.