Monday, 22 June 2015 14:22

Stop bank breach creates havoc

Written by 
Water rose quickly following a stopbank breach. Water rose quickly following a stopbank breach.

An organic dairy farm just north of Levin has been inundated with water after a stop bank on the Koputaroa steam failed this morning.

Record heavy rains which hit  the area last Saturday caused local streams and the adjacent Manawatu River to rise and they are only slowly receding.

Murray Moxham who owns the farm says he had no warning of the sudden breach of the stop bank and he and his staff  had to quickly move the cows 650 cows to what little high ground there in on the property.

The modern dairy shed is partly underwater and is impossible to access because of the floodwaters.

Moxham says he’s fortunate he’s not milking, but says because he is an organic farmer he can’t move the stock to another property. He says it will likely take several days for the water to recede.   

Breach-in-stopbank-floods-Murray-Moxhams-farm

A breach in stopbank floods Murray Moxham's farm.

 

One-cow-manages-to-stay-away-from-the-rising-floodwaters-on-Murray-Moxhams-farm

One cow manages to stay away from the rising floodwaters on Murray Moxham's farm.

 

The-flooded-milk-shed

The flooded milk shed.

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