August 16, 2017
Wetland will help clean Porirua harbour
Porirua has secured $2 million from the government's freshwater improvement fund to build a wetland alongside Te Awarua-o-Porirua Harbour.
Mayor Mike Tana says the one hectare stormwater treatment wetland at the eastern end of Elsdon Park near Takapuwahia Marae means cleaner water flowing into the harbour will also help reduce flooding in the area.
He says run-off and sedimentation has increased over the years as the city has grown along the harbour shores.
The new project is part of a wider effort to turn the city towards the harbour, which has included extensive consultation with iwi.
"So we go out to Ngati Toa, we go out to the residents and ask them, what it is about this harbour you want it to look like for your mokopuna, for your future generations, what do we need to do to help protect it. Some things we can't do because of the amount of money it will cost but there are other things we definitely must do: one about harbour health and the quality of the water and two about sedimentation and how that does make us a very shallow harbour," Mr Tana says.
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