THE WAIKAREAO ESTUARY

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume L, Issue 7965, 20 April 1922, Page 2

THE WAIKAREAO ESTUARY

(To the Editor). Sir,—As the Otumoetai settlers think of spending several thousands on a road and bridge, the Judea Drainage Board ditto on a drainage scheme, why not combine with the Harbour Board and reclaim the Waikareao Estuary. The opportunity now presents itself. The Public Works Department will be making an embankment and bridge for the railway. Let them make it all embankment or dam, dredge a channel from Judea bridge to same, put down a pumping plant to deal with the drainage water from the Judea swamp (divert the streams at the head of swamp by all means!; for power for pumps use the wind—the cheapest power possible, and always plenty of jt in the estuary—with an electric motor as a standby, Not so fancical as it looks, Yr Editor, as hundreds of square miles of the English fens and Holland, were drained by it at one time. Look what it would mean—the Otumoetai people would get their road, the Harbour Board could turn the estuary into revenue producing paddocks (somewhere to put the Town cows), the Judea landowners would get their land properly drained, and • jot have it under water as at present—every high tide or heavy rain. This should not cost anything like the proposed scheme, and would drain the swamp, whereas any system of flood gates etc, only stops tidal water ; it does not deal with water coming down when the gates are closed I am, etc, Fen-man Tauranga, April 18th 1922.