ASHLEY RIVER

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21729, 11 March 1936, Page 12

ASHLEY RIVER

LEVEL FALLS SLOWLY STOP-BANKS BEING BUILT UP AGAIN At its peak about 2 o'clock yesterday morning, the flood in the Ashley river was a little lower than the one in 1923 which caused extensive damage. The.rate of flow was slightly more than 40.000 cubic feet a second,.compared with 83,000 cusecs at the height oi the flood a fortnight ago. The river rose very slightly alter the Public Works Department's engineers left the camp at the Rangiora traffic bridge at 10.30 p.m. on Monday. When rain in the higher country gave place to snow, the rapid rise of the river was steadied. Warm sunshine yesterday melted the snow gradually and there was a good flow of water in the river all day. The fall in the level was slower than was expected but was maintained. It will be some time before the northern approach to the traffic bridge on the main north road can carry traffic. The approach to the bridge was washed away a fortnight ago, but repairs had been effected and.it was expected that the bridge would have been open again by now. However, most of the filling put into the approach last week was washed away on Monday. When the flood water broke near the main north road bridge, it swept across the farm of Mr J. Wyllie, at Sefton. He suffered extensively in the last flood and little further damage could be done. The water came to the doorstep of his home and the family spent a sleepless night on Monday with the water almost as deep over the farm as it was during the last flood A little water came on to the main north road south of the traffic bridge and was still lying yesterday. The flood had little effect at Coldstream and Waikuku. Unemployed men were engaged yesterday building up the stop bank near the Rangiora bridge. Both Rangiora and Christchurch men were employed there, but the lower camp will probably be open again to-day. Effect,of Groynes

No water came through the breaks in the stop bank near Fernside caused by the last flood. Speaking to a representative of "The Press" yesterday, Mr A. M. Carpenter said that without the obstruction of the groynes which were washed away a fortnight ago,« the river had an unrestricted channel and the greater volume of water did not reach the breaches. Together with Mr C. Morgan Williams, M.P., Mr W. Stalker (chairman of the Rangiora County Council), and Mr Carpenter inspected the riverbed yesterday in preparation for the public meeting which will be held in Rangiora to-morrow evening to discuss the protective scheme.