Project Start Year: 2026
The Greymouth Stopbank Upgrades Project (Stages 2/4/5) upgrades existing stopbanks across Greymouth township including Blaketown and Cobden to provide increased flood resilience. The project also includes the replacement of flood gates at Preston Road bridge and across the rail line at ANZAC Park and Raleigh Street.
Benefits
Construction of Stages 2, 4, and 5 (Blaketown & Cobden) builds on the work completed to Stages 1 and 3 (Greymouth CBD) by bringing the entire flood protection scheme up to the same level of service, protecting commercial, industrial and residential property and essential services that are vulnerable to flooding in a 1:150-year flood event (meaning a flood of this magnitude has a 0.67% likelihood of occurring in any given year).
Adaptation
The project was initiated in response to climate change and the risk of more frequent, higher intensity rainfall, larger flood events, and projected sea level rise. Some stopbanks within the Greymouth Flood Protection Scheme were upgraded through the addition of concrete floodwalls in 2010, increasing the level of service provided from 1:50-year event to a 1:150-year event. Completion of Stages 1 and 3 in 2024-25 (co-funded by central government as part of its investment in climate resilience projects) and Stages 2, 4 & 5 in 2026-27 (co-funded with central government’s Regional Infrastructure Fund for Flood Resilience projects) will bring the remaining stopbanks to a level of service consistent with the upgrades in 2010.
Resilience
Replacement of the existing flood gates allows council staff and contractors to respond quickly to flood warnings and requires road and rail networks to be closed for shorter periods before and after flood events. Flood gates (known as ‘stop logs’) replaced through this work are cumbersome concrete structures that take time to install before a flood event and remove afterwards.
Collaboration
This project has been co-funded through the Regional Infrastructure Fund (RIF) and West Coast Regional Council.
The Greymouth Flood Protection Scheme was completed in 1990 following two significant floods in 1988 that caused widespread damage throughout the town. Completion of the upgrades in 2010, 2024-25, and 2026-27 represents an ongoing partnership between the community, West Coast Regional Council and central government in the delivery of flood protection infrastructure for Greymouth.
