Silt removed from Kinloch Marina

SiteCare NZ operator Corey Sanson (left) and chair of the Kinloch Marina Company Peter Guise check out the dredging work. 

A $750,000 dredging operation in the privately owned Kinloch Marina is due for completion in September.

By Dee Wilson

The marina has been partially closed for the past four months to allow the marina and each of the 142 berths to be dredged of silt. The work is being carried out by local operator SiteCare NZ.

Chairman of the Kinloch Marina Company Peter Guise says a build-up of silt over the past 17 years since the marina was expanded and redeveloped is causing access issues for boats when the lake level is low.

He says the marina company had hoped to get the work done much sooner but a lengthy three-year-long resource consenting process involving Taupō District Council, Waikato Regional Council and Tūwharetoa Trust Board led to unforeseen delays.

About 300 tonnes of silt - including half a metre of silt from each of the marina berths - has been dredged and treated in six temporary de-watering containers erected on site.  The treated waste is being disposed of on farmland 13 kilometres from Kinloch.  

The marina company is testing the silt to determine factors contributing to the build-up. Peter says three Taupō District Council stormwater drains feed into the marina and the company believes that may be a significant contributor to the silt build up given the growth in Kinloch in the last decade. 

In addition to helping berth owners and boaties using the marina ramps, the new depth is expected to reduce the amount of weed and algae growth.

The marina is due to be fully operational again by the September school holidays.