Canterbury river levels Dec 28, 2010 – Update 4.25 pm

Rangitata River.

The Rangitata River reached a peak at the Klondyke recorder of 2150 cumecs as at 10.30am today. The flow in the river will remain very high throughout the rest of today and tonight before gradually receding however flows will peak at the mouth of the river around 6pm this evening. Farmers and other landowners adjacent to the river are advised to monitor their own situation closely and recreational river users and campers are advised to stay well clear of the Rangitata riverbed area. So far the river has remained confined within its bed and no major problems have been reported and Environment Canterbury is continuing to monitor the situation.

Upper Waitaki Lakes and Rivers.

Approximately 400mm of rain has been recorded at the Mt Cook rain gauge over the last 36 hours.

Lakes Tekapo, Pukaki and Ohau are full and further rain in the catchment has led to spills down the Tekapo, Pukaki and Ohau Rivers. Flows in these rivers are likely to increase through the day.

Holidaymakers and campers in the vicinity need to be aware of the risk of rising rivers and lakes.

The Ahuriri River appears to have peaked at just over 400 cumecs at midday today. Campers and holidaymakers near the river or those tramping in the area should remain wary of high river levels.

Lakes Benmore, Aviemore, Waitaki and the Lower Waitaki River

As a result of high inflows in the upper catchment lake levels at Benmore, Aviemore and Waitaki have increased and are expected to reach capacity over the next few hours. 850 cumecs of water is being discharged at Benmore and Aviemore Dams. Currently, the Waitaki Dam is discharging at 650 cumecs and this will steadily increase to between 1200 and 1400 cumecs by midnight tonight.

Lower Waitaki River flows will increase over the next few days given the saturated conditions in the catchment.

Farmers, landowners, holidaymakers and campers adjacent to the Lower Waitaki River and the lakes need to be aware of the risk of rising rivers and lakes.

For the latest flow information refer to Environment Canterbury's River Flow page http://ecan.govt.nz/services/online-services/monitoring/river-flows/Pages/River-flows-south.aspx.

Please note – There are currently no concerns that the flood protection stopbanks will not cope with this weather event.

This message will be updated when the situation changes significantly.