Council help with flooding sought

A Picton resident wants the Marlborough District Council to install a stormwater system on his property after run-off from a hillside above flooded his section.

Jim Sadd attended Thursday's assets and services committee meeting to ask the council for help. Council staff are investigating.

Mr Sadd lives on Durham St and owns a vacant section alongside his house. During 2008 floods, water ran down properties on Durham St into his properties and Mr Sadd said he was worried that more flooding would cause erosion and collapse of the embankment behind his property.

Councillor Cliff Bowers, who lives directly opposite Mr Sadd's property, said in the past the bank had subsided and taken out a fence. Now, instead of taking out the bank, water and mud ran down into Mr Sadd's property.

A report prepared by council operations and maintenance engineer Stephen Rooney, however, said the council was not obliged to pay for the stormwater system, estimated to cost $30,000.

It is the property owner's responsibility to deal with water that naturally flows down a slope to their property, the report said.

However, council staff had explored the option of neighbouring properties contributing to the cost of installing a stormwater system on Mr Sadd's property.

It was suggested they each pay a one-off sum of $5000, as well as connection fee of $1250. All refused to pay, including Mr Sadd.

After the meeting, council assets and services manager Mark Wheeler said he was sympathetic to Mr Sadd's situation, "but it's not normal, or fair, for the rest of ratepayers to fund it". Many Picton residents were in the same boat due to erosion problems and "old standards" of stormwater systems, he said.

Councillor Tom Harrison said the council had to "set a precedent". In the past, water had come through Mr Harrison's Blenheim property from hills above and left about 60cm of water through his house. It cost "thousands" of dollars to repair and civil action was required, he said.

"I've experienced it myself and at the time I was very bitter – nobody wanted to help me."

Warwick Brice said that if it was his property, he would be "brassed off".

Mayor Alistair Sowman recommended a site visit, and the issue will be brought up at a future assets and services meeting.

- The Marlborough Express

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