Living Wall will Support Omamari Road Slip Repairs

Kaipara District Council hopes Omamari Beach residents will have their main access restored in seven to ten days following repairs to a major slip, using a new cost and environmentally friendly technique for the first time in Kaipara.

A section of Omamari Road between Kai Iwi Lakes Road and Omamari Beach was closed last Friday (7 August) by the slip which undermined the sealed surface, leaving residents with Babylon Coast Road as their only access.

Repairs began today (Wednesday 12 August) and include draining a small lake nearby and moving machinery to the base of the slip. RST Environmental Solutions will then move in to build a bio-engineered brush and sock wall to contain the compacted fill used in the repairs.

This involves alternate layers of fill and a brush-type willow which will sprout, allowing the roots to form a supporting mat in the fill. These will be supplemented by “socks” containing mulch and Kikuyu seed on the outside of the fill to grow a grass cover and reduce erosion.

“This is the first time we have applied this technique in Kaipara but it has been used very successfully in a number of other places, including iron sands in coastal Taranaki,“ says Roading Portfolio holder Tom Smith and local Councillor Julie Geange. “By coincidence we had just recently signed a contract to use it repairing ten other slips around the District.”

They say Council is working to restore the road as quickly as possible and is particularly grateful for the co-operation and help it has received from adjoining landowners and the Omamari community.

In the meantime, anyone requiring information concerning the road is asked to contact Council’s Customer Services Team on 09 439 7059.