RIVER TRUST

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21084, 8 February 1934, Page 5

RIVER TRUST

♦- REPORT ON RECENT FLOODS i WAIMAKARIRI BANKS TESTED The floods experienced during December and January tried the banks "long the Waimakariri river severely, but very little damage was done. At a meeting of the Waimakariri River Trust yesterday reference was made to the way in which the engineer and his men had worked to save an unfinished portion of the bank, the chairman remarking that great credit was due to the engineer for saving the bank from serious damage. The meeting was attended by Messrs J. H. Blackwell (chairman), W. P. Spencer, H. E. Evans, R. O. Dixon, G. Gould, A. Manhire, F. W. Freeman, J. Leslie, and Professor R. Speight. J The engineer reported that a gang j was engaged on the erection of the ; lateral embankment joining up the j cross bank with the upstream end of : the Coutts Island bank, metalling the roadway behind the cross bank and filling subsided portions of the bank. A gang was still clearing the Cust main drain and another was -doing clearing work on Coutts Island. The other two gangs were doing clearing work and laying willows along the Clarkville bank, and doing maintenance and clearing work near Oxford. Work had been started on the floodgates and bridge across the Styx river. Twelve temporary piles had. been driven and staging was erected for the derrick, which could not be used from the pontoon. Wool sold had realised £146 3s, and 42 lambs and 12 ewes brought £4B 13s lOd. Relief workers employed by the trust numbered 797, and two survey assistants authorised by the Unemployment Board were engaged in measuring up and computing earthworks. Banks Tried by Floods. "During the last two weeks of December, and practically all of January the Waimakariri was in fresh and floods were experienced on December 18, 22, and 24, and on January 7, 22, and 26," the report continued. ''The flood of December 13 came down just before the completion of the cross bank. A portion of the bank, some 130 feet in length, had not been completed to the grade height, and necessitated our permanent staff being on the job practically 48 hours; these men worked exceedingly hard and the effort put in resulted in saving this length of bank from being over-topped and thousands of yards being scoured away. With these successive floods the bank was severely tried out, but apart from seepage and minor sand boils it stood up well. Minor damage has resulted on portions of the upstream face due to wave lap, as sufficient time has not elapsed for the grass to grow to resist this. "Some conception of the amount of water ponded may be gained from the fact that the pressure on the embankment was estimated 1o be approximately 2600 tons, and the total weight of water impounded approximately 4U0.000 tons. The water in the south channel was net even discoloured and tne owners of the low-lying areas at Belfast and Coutts Island accordingly suffered no losses whatever. The groyne head at the northern end of the bank served to turn the flood waters, and thus scour out a new channel in the bed, giving much relief to the main banks immediately upstream.

"A total deposition of silt, of 21 inches has taken place behind the hank, and because of this the seepage through the bank has lessened with each successive flood. Should no serious Hoods be experienced in the near future, it is anticipated that the "bank will be entirely safe during its period of becoming consolidated. Some slight damage has been done to two groynes along the north bank and one on the south side. Repairs to these will be init in hand as early as possible. "The passing of the Waimakariri TUver Improvement Amendment Act gives rise to the necessity for serving notice 011 all adjoining owners to (he river-bed of the Eyre in connexion with the vesting of the bed in the trust. The searching in connexion '.villi this has been proceeding lor the last three weeks, and the list of owners is now almost completed. The necessary notice for advertising in the New Zealand Gazette has been forwarded to Wellington. The surveys will be ;,ut in hand next week. Information for these is at present being compiled." Tha finance committee recommended Hist the fees fixed by the amendment to the WaimaV.ariri River Improvement Act passed last session, should he given effect to. The committee also recommended that the chairman's honorarium should !jc: fixed at £IOO. Conversion Approved. A idler from Die secretary of I lie !.r,eal Government, Leans Board sl'.il.ncl !ha! !hc trust's proposal to convert rzcuritics amounting to £1;">:5,000 had been approved by the board. The

i'.iinister for Finance: (the Rt. Hon. J. G. C-oates) liad been notified so thai, a consenting Order in Council could Lie issued. It would not be necessary to give notice to debenture holders until the Ordor-in-Couneil was issued, the letter added. A comparison of the estimates for the year with the expenditure for the •10 weeks ended January 10 wa.s presented by the engineer as follows: — E;.Umated expenditure .. 88?,0 Expenditure lor 40 wee];;; .. 0501 Amount remaining for li! weeks 2321 TJvcry cflort was being made to keep the works within the estimates, the report added. No construction expenditure for new works would be available until after the end of the financial year.