Clive River dredging set for February

The Clive River is dredged around every ten years to allow recreational use, and the next dredging project is set to take place in 2021, depending on resource consent, reports Hawke’s Bay Regional Council.

The dredging takes around three months, said Regional Council Regional Asset Manager, Martina Groves.

“The dredging will cover 1,200 meters, from the river mouth to above the Clive Bridge. Around 50,000 cubic meters of sediment will be dredged and disposed of out to sea,” according to Ms Groves.

“The Clive River is valued by the whole community and used by lots of people. Sediment builds up over time and needs to be removed. It’s important that the river is deep enough for recreational use and can continue to protect the community from flooding.”

“Through the consenting process we carry out, we will notify the public of the consent application in December. If the consent application is accepted, dredging will begin in February 2021.”

Part of the dredging will be environmental monitoring during and after the work, looking at the effect the sediment has on the environment when it’s moved out to the sea.

The dredging is constrained by a number of factors, including cost, availability of the dredge, spawning season for wildlife in the river including whitebait, and recreational use.

The Clive River is part of the Heretaunga Plains Flood Control Scheme and flows out of the Karamu River and Raupare Stream, before joining up with the Ngaruroro River and meeting the sea.

The river has cultural and recreational values for tangata whenua and locals, from mahinga kai to water sports.

Dredging was first carried out in 1997 after obtaining a resource consent and again in 2009, with another resource consent and renewed community liaison.

The dredging volume in 2009 was less than the 1997 volume and did not extend as far upstream as the first operation as the siltation upstream was found to be less significant.