A catch 22 for a West Coast town facing a daunting prospect of eventually being washed away.

The Waiho River has been changing its course and rising due to sediment build up. 

If nothing's done, it's feared the township of Franz Josef could be gone in 20 years.  

The West Coast Regional Council put forward a 10-year plan to sacrifice the southern stopbanks protecting farmland and properties.  

Chairman Peter Haddock told Kate Hawkesby that the community has been aware of the build-up of the river for the last 20 years.  

He says the council has a responsibility to act now, because if it does nothing they'll end up like Hawke's Bay's Esk Valley, which has seen devastating flooding. 

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