Southland boaties urged to watch out for railway irons
Methods to prevent erosion in Southland have come back to haunt boaties this summer.
Environment Southland is warning users of Southland’s rivers to keep an eye out for hazards, including railway irons that were installed to combat erosion.
Several decades ago, the irons were used to control the erosion of land surrounding the waterways, but recently they were discovered both protruding from the river waters and submerged under the surface, posing a serious safety risk to river users, said Zak Smith, deputy harbourmaster for Environment Southland.
“The changing nature of our rivers, in the decades since these railway irons were originally placed there for erosion control, has resulted in the railway irons now being in the main river channel, making them a major safety hazard to vessels and river users,” Smith said.
“It is possible that there are more that are yet to be discovered on other parts of Southland’s rivers, particularly because some have been found submerged under each river’s waterline.”
The irons that have been found are in the Makarewa River near North Makarewa Grove Bush Rd and Orion Rd West; the Ōreti River south of State Highway 99 and north of West Plains Rd; in the Mataura River between Cattle Flat and Riversdale-Waikaia Rd; and in the Waikaia River near Waipuru Rd and north of Waipounamu Bridge Rd.
A catchment operations team from the regional council has been removing irons in several locations, but some are still embedded in the rivers.
A maritime team has been marking the sites where irons have been discovered with buoys and flags, and placing warning signs nearby to help river users stay safe.
Smith said the council was urging river users to keep an eye out for hazards, especially in areas where the irons had been discovered.
“Anyone boating near the sites where railway irons have been discovered is advised to travel with extreme caution.
“Environment Southland staff are looking at other sites of possible interest, and we encourage anyone who sees railway irons in our rivers to contact us promptly, so that these hazards can be marked and removed as quickly as possible.”
River users played a crucial part in identifying the sites and alerting Environment Southland, he said.
The council urges anyone who spots an unidentified railway iron to contact it via email at service.es.govt.nz or by calling 0800 768 845.