A major study of the River Carron in Stonehaven will be carried out in preparation for a new flood prevention scheme in the town.
Aberdeenshire Council is seeking specialist advice about the condition and alignment of the armour – the rocky structure currently in place at the mouth of the river.
A tender issued by the local authority asks for an assessment of the effect of waves from the North Sea on levels further up the Carron.
Council officials want to know how efficient the rock armour is at preventing waves from moving up the river – and allowing flood waters to reach the sea.
They are also seeking suggestions on the best place to put the armour to minimise the risk of flooding from the Carron.
The findings will be used to draw up a multimillion-pound flood prevention scheme planned for Stonehaven.
Pete Murray, the owner of traditional music shop Celtic Chords, on Barclay Street, was hit by floods in 2009 and 2012.
He said many locals were concerned about the route of the river. The mouth of the Carron used to go straight into the sea but a few years ago they re-routed it so it has a slight s-bend in it,” he said.
“After Bridge Street the water hits that rocky man-made structure.
“A lot of local people think that’s why we have been getting flooded because the river cannot flow straight out to sea.”
A spokesman for Aberdeenshire Council said: “This is a study to investigate the effectiveness of the alignment of the existing rock armour at the mouth of the River Carron and also to quantify the levels of wave propagation.
“The outcomes and recommendations from this study will be used in the development of the main flood scheme.
“The results of the tender process will be reported to a future meeting of the Kincardine and Mearns area committee.”
In December last year councillors approved proposals for a new flood prevention scheme at Stonehaven which could cost as much as £12million. The plans include new flood walls along the Carron and the Burn of Glaslaw as well as self-closing flood barriers at three sections of the river.