Tasman District Council undertakes a programme of fairway spraying on river gravel beaches to reduce the build-up of woody weeds and other vegetation, such as lupin, gorse and broom, that may inhibit the movement of gravel and reduce flood flow capacity.
We will be starting ground-based fairway spraying starting in late November 2024, including the following rivers:
- Motupiko River, from 8.1 km to 16.75 km upstream of the Upper Motueka River confluence
- Wai-iti River, from the Waimea River confluence to the Stock Road bridge (approximately 30 km length)
- Wairoa River, covering approximately 6 km upstream of the Waimea River confluence
- Individual beaches in the Middle and Lower Motueka River, if found to be practical with ground-based equipment.
We will also be investigating the Golden Bay Rivers in the upcoming weeks to identify any weed control requirements in those areas, and will provide an updated notification if spraying activities will occur.
Our river maintenance contractor (Taylors Contracting Limited) will work their way up the Council maintained sections of each river, spraying weeds and invasive vegetation on the gravel beaches as they come across them. Spraying is done using a tractor with spray boom, or four-wheel drive vehicle with a person applying the chemical with a pressurised hose/spray nozzle applicator system. Agri-chemicals being used include glyphosate, metsulfuron, and organo-silicone wetting agents and dye. Spray applicators maintain a 2-metre buffer distance between the spray area and any surface water.
If you have any questions or concerns about this work, please let us know at [email protected] or call us at 03 543 8400, and reference ‘river fairway spraying’.