Source: Auckland Council
Residents are getting the help and tools they need to care for streams in their backyards with an innovative new project introduced by the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board as a result of the 2023 floods.
The Green your stream project helps homeowners maintain private streams and is being delivered by the Restore Hibiscus & Bays team in partnership with Auckland Council’s Healthy Waters.
Board chair Alexis Poppelbaum says there is a large percentage of private streams in the local board area and that, blocked streams flooded during the Auckland Anniversary floods and Cyclone Gabrielle.
“Homeowners are responsible for the stream that runs through their property, and by having the knowledge and tools, they will be able to cope with major rainstorms and be more storm resilient.
“The project has been running for 15 months and while it is early days, homeowners are eager to get involved, and feedback has been positive.
“The pilot started in East Coast Bays with the project extended to the Hibiscus Coast last year.
“Homeowners are busy clearing out rubbish and pest plants from their streams and getting ready for the winter planting season.”
Setting up the project involved identifying sites with open streams using the council’s mapping system, then adding overlays with address data to establish the catchment areas and target sites.
Restore Hibiscus & Bays staff door knocked private stream owners and talked to them about the storm damage, their responsibilities to care for private streams, and handed out information about the project.
Restore Hibiscus & Bays Manager Kelly Meikle says that since the pilot launch, 63 landowners have signed up in East Coast Bays and 24 so far on the Hibiscus Coast.
“It is fantastic that people are enthusiastic about the project and committed to ecological restoration and sustainable living.”
Aimed at private stream owners, the project has the following steps:
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removing obstructions such as rubbish, garden waste and fallen trees from the stream
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controlling pest plants from the riparian area
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planting a variety of native plants for ground cover and to stabilise stream banks
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ongoing maintenance of the stream.
It is a homeowner’s responsibility to make sure a stream isn’t blocked and won’t cause problems for neighbours. If fencing a stream, fences should be built outside of the floodplain area and parallel to the flow of the stream. Wire fences are preferred as timber fences without removable slats or brick walls can obstruct the flow of water and cause flooding.
Meikle says the project now includes several schools as some school sites have large streams which are ideally located to support larger scale stormwater management.
“Students and teachers are caring for the sites. Native plants planted along stream banks help absorb water and reduce rapid runoff which takes away the pressure on lower catchment areas.
This approach helps people living in older suburbs where aging infrastructure and heavily modified landscapes contribute to flooding risks.”
Extending the project to connect more sites in Campbells Bay has been important for that catchment area which is steep sided and has a base where flooding can occur.
Te Herenga Waka o Orewa are hosting workshops about pest plants and volunteers are cleaning up the edge of the Weiti River, removing rubbish trapped in mangroves and stopping it washing into the Long Bay Marine Reserve.
Anyone who wants information about caring for a stream or to know about the Green your Stream project, should email info@restorehb.org.nz.
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