Wet weather creating challenges around the district

This winter is turning out to be one of the wettest on record and the rainfall on Kāpiti Coast has made a lot of people’s outlooks and properties soggy.

According to the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) Annual Climate Survey 2016, Kāpiti’s yearly rainfall is well above the average for the region. The survey covers precipitation from 2016-2017 and has recorded that the Kāpiti Coast has had between 120-149% above normally recorded rainfall this year, logging 1806mm so far compared to 1104mm last year.

Infrastructure Services Group Manager Sean Mallon says that increased incidents of ground ponding, poor soakage, and saturated sports fields and private properties are compounded by heavy rainfall.

From 1 March to 30 June 2017, Council received 138 service requests related to stormwater and flooding, up 85 requests from the same period the previous year.

“It’s been an unusually wet winter. It’s one of the highest on record and many residents have struggled to cope with the unprecedented amount of rain.

“While our teams have been busy responding to calls, making sure that our stormwater drains are clear of debris, changing weather patterns will continue to be a challenge.”