Factsheet Invercargill Catchment Flood Warning Information

Environment Southland has a monitoring network of rain gauges and water level recorders, some of which also record water flow. We monitor river levels so there is readily available information for Southlanders on how changes in water levels could affect their property or their livestock.

How do I access river level information is displayed in an interactive How can I prepare for a map and can also be viewed as a data information? table on our website, www.es.govt.nz. flood ? Call our Environmental Data Information Find out if your property floods from The EDI telephone is directly connected (EDI) line for river information or visit our previous owners, neighbours or to the telemetry system, so provides our website – www.es.govt.nz: Environment Southland, or you can most up-to-date information. contact our Senior Policy Planner on  EDI – 03 211 5010 0800 76 88 45 for property specific  Having trouble? Contact technical How do I interpret the information. Alternatively district plans support or our flood duty officer from Southland or Gore District Councils – 03 211 5244 information? or Invercargill City Council will contain maps that identify flood prone areas.  Environment Southland after hours – River levels are reported as metres 03 211 5225 above normal, where normal water level Take note of any flood alleviation work is zero metres. Values become negative that has been done, as this will also when below zero. Downstream property affect the behaviour of rivers near you. How does Environment owners may want to take note of levels This will help you plan for future events, from recorders upstream, for floods that especially knowing when to move stock. Southland receive data? could affect you. We use a telemetry system for our river As a guide, significant totals are: level information, which is the automatic How do I find out if roads measurement and transmission of data • 24 hours – 50 mm on a wet catchment are closed? from our monitoring sites. Information is or 70 mm on a dry catchment transmitted through VHF radio at some During a flood, access to your property sites and cellphone at others. Important • 12 hours – 25 mm on a wet catchment is more likely to be affected than your sites have both, as cellphone networks or 45 mm on a dry catchment property itself. State Highway road can be overloaded in flood events. closures are reported on the NZ Transport • 6 hours – 15 mm on a wet catchment Agency website: www.nzta.govt.nz or 35 mm on a dry catchment For other road closures head to www. How up-to-date is the The rainfall in the last hour gives a good civildefencesouthland.govt.nz, or get in indication of whether it’s still raining, information? touch with the Invercargill City Council, so take careful note of the time it was Southland District Council, or Gore On the website, river level sites are updated. Very intense hourly rainfall District Council. updated hourly, and headwaters every (over 10mm/hr) can cause sharp flood 15 minutes. During a flood event, all peaks. If you need help interpreting the sites are updated every 15 minutes. This data, call the flood duty officer.

1  River level information Invercargill Catchment water level recorders – flood peaks and EDI contact details

EDI Past Flood Levels (metres above normal) My Levels EDI Menu Info Phone No. 1978 1980 1984 1991 1998 1999 2010 2016

Rainfall No. Available Available

Waihopai River at:

Kennington Y (03) 211 5071 171 2.46 2.52 3.56 2.62 1.71 2.39 2.27

Waihopai Dam Y (03) 211 5072 172 1.86 1.82 3.06 2.93

Stead Street Bridge Y (03) 211 5073 173 2.31 1.93 1.84 2.32

Kingswell Creek at:

Tisbury Dam Y (03) 211 5075 175 2.74 1.57 2.35 2.74

Otepuni Creek at:

Otepuni Dam Y (03) 211 5074 174 1.03 2.17 2.81 1.59

Invercargill Catchment rain gauges EDI contact details

Rain Gauge EDI Phone No. EDI Menu No.

Woodlands at Garvie Road (03) 211 5020 253

Kingswell Creek at Tisbury Dam (03) 211 5019 252

Waihopai River at Waihopai Dam N/A N/A

Rainfall monitoring site Water level monitoring site

Environment Southland uses reasonable endeavours but does not warrant that this information is current complete or Published by: accurate. Professional or specialist advice should be obtained before taking or refraining from taking action on the basis Environment Southland of this information. To the extent permitted by law Environment Southland will not be liable for any loss, liability or costs June 2017 suffered or incurred as a result of any reliance placed on this information.

Environment Southland | Cnr North Rd & Price St, Invercargill | 0800 76 88 45 | [email protected] | www.es.govt.nz