PROTECT
Flood Impacts Big job ahead for watertrampled vineyards
“It’s a hell of a mess and particularly in some places.” Haysley MacDonald THE STOP bank at Bandillero I vineyard in the Wairau Valley has done its job for 20 years, keeping the river out of its rows. But when 6,000 cumecs of water tore down the Wairau River in mid-July, 100 metres of the safeguard failed, allowing flood waters, sediment and forestry waste to charge through the vines. “Basically, the water came in with all of its trash and everything it had with it,” says vineyard manager Dominic Pecchenino, equating 6,000 cumecs with 6,000 tonnes per second hitting the stop bank. In the water’s wake, the vineyard was left a “mess”, with posts, vines and wires gone in a small portion of the block, and a bigger area hit by debris along the vines and sediment underfoot, which will also require a clean-up. Dominic says that work is intensive and “hands-on”, at a time when labour is already scarce. The flood was reportedly the biggest ever recorded in Marlborough (see Flood Plains sidebox), and saw a State of Emergency declared on July 17, and in place until July 28. Wine Marlborough general manager Marcus Pickens says it appears most of the region’s vineyard area got through the event unscathed, despite images that show large tracts of vineyards submerged. “In many cases the water pooled and then dispersed just as quickly,” he says.
SOPHIE PREECE
However, a journey around vineyards five days after the flood, when Minister of Agriculture Damien O’Connor visited the region, revealed the more severe impacts being faced by some growers, Marcus says. “There are some people grappling with clearing, repairing, replanting and rebuilding infrastructure, just when they need to focus on the business of pruning.” Dominic says the energy of the river caused it to change direction, so it hit the stop bank head on. That is both the beauty and the problem with braided rivers, he says. “Every flood the river changes a little bit… It just so happened that the main flow of the river actually turned into my stop bank.” At the time of writing, Dominic was assessing the cleanup of the vineyard and restoration of the stop bank, which was built in 2001. “I have a lot of work to do. It’s a matter of getting it done on time and making sure we are ready to go.” He is gutted, but philosophical about being hit by such a rare event. “I know what I gotta do and I know what is ahead of me,” he says. “We have been farming there for 21 years and never had any damage.” Over in the Waihopai Valley, Leefield Station suffered serious damage to some lower terraces, after the Waihopai River swiftly changed course, tearing through a 10 to 15-hectare block of young vines. Owner Brent Marris says
Check machinery now Flood affected growers around the region will be dealing with damaged frost fans, irrigation pumps and other machinery, washed away, or hammered by water and laden with silt, says viticulturist Dominic Pecchenino. “ And the silt goes everywhere.” Dominic, who was one of the presenters in a Bragato Research Institute flood webinar in late July, urged growers to check all their equipment now, because access to parts and labour will be delayed due to Covid-19. “Don’t wait until you need to use it,” he said. Dominic also told the webinar audience that his priority in the wake of flood damage is still pruning rather than clean-up, with labour prioritised to do the necessary winter work. The Marlborough District Council says people in the primary industries sector who need further information or assistance repairing damage and cleaning up can visit bit.ly/StormEventMPIInfo
10 / Winepress August 2021
