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A collaborative approach to a flooding problem caused by a stream running through a Transpower sub station site near Nelson has had some surprising results.
“When you see an excavator driver stop, jump into the stream and rescue a fish you know it’s a special project. To be able to end up with a better stretch of stream than was there in the first place is really amazing and it’s due to all of us working together to get workable solutions,” says Tom. Paul Adams of client Electronet says it’s the first time the company’s been involved in a project where not only were the local fish life was relocated, but new habitats for them were constructed as well. “I think we all were surprised by the amount of fish life in that section of stream, with several species identified. We’ve preserved that and also enhanced the local ecosystem while protecting Transpower’s asset. That’s a great outcome,” he says. Tom Kroos says an example of the flexible solutions he and Taylors Contracting came up with was the solution to the de-watering issue.
Tom says this also meant that when the water came back on they didn’t have to wait for downstream colonisation or upstream migration from the estuary, as there was already an environment there. Taylors project manager Aaron Ewers says initially they were skeptical about the amount of fish life in such a short stretch of creek. “But when the relocation took place and we could actually see how much life there was in the creek that went undetected we definitely felt the need to protect what was there. Our field staff adapted their plan of attack and kept Tom fully involved at almost every stage.” And they were also active in saving fish. The excavator driver could be regularly seen splashing around in the shallow pools with a net that Tom had left, catching any strays and relocating them to deeper water. Aaron says Taylors has always had a proactive approach to looking after the environment.
Tom Kroos believes you need to be on site to get those solutions. “When you get on site you can see what values we missed, and you can achieve the goals different ways by implementing a different strategy. For example, we say maybe we can achieve cooler water temperatures by using a little less rock and maybe some more planting. Then we can put some simple little rock structures in the creek bed itself while it’s dry, that’s what we did and that’s why we ended up with something better than what was there to begin with.” The ecologist-contractor relationship is a key factor in getting this outcome and it wasn’t just a one-way street. “From my point of view to have the contractor explain, ‘look we understand what you’re trying to achieve but from our point of view that’s not going to work. So how about we do it this way?’ was really helpful,” says Tom. “In my experience you can get win-win situations at no additional cost, it’s about the way that we do it.” Aaron is also proud of the project.
“Enhancing our environment is something that’s badly needed. In the Moutere ecological district where the substation is located, 98.6 percent of all the original wetland that was here in 1840 has been lost. “ And that’s why projects like this one are so important, says Tom. “I think that any little bit we can do to try to restore some of this wetland is vitally important. It’s not fast, but if we think about each project with the care we’ve done on this one, I think we can very, very slowly begin to change that disgusting statistic and very, very slowly begin to turn things back.”
Contractor Vol.34 No.3 April 2010 |
Poorman stream in Marsden Valley, Nelson, is now a richer, more diverse and healthier home for fish and animals than it was before the contractors headed in. It’s an unusual outcome and one project ecologist Tom Kroos of Fish & Wildlife Services says came about thanks to the earthworks contractors, Taylors Contracting, taking an active role in seeking ecologically sound methods to get the job done.
“We realised there were pools and pockets that we could never get all the water out of, even though we did a fish salvage every day. So we decided to leave a minimal water flow so that some of the animals we couldn’t capture, like the Koura (freshwater crayfish) and some of the really small whitebait, still had a place to live.”
“If we don’t effectively manage the impact we have on the environment then we aren’t doing ourselves, our clients or the environment any favours. We’re happy to work with ecologists and between come up with workable solutions.”
“It’s been a personally gratifying project for me and all the Taylors guys involved to know that not only can we work to keep a client satisfied they are getting value for money, but we can also protect the local wildlife and provide a habitat that was better than when we arrived.