DRAINAGE OF LAKE ELLESMERE

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22359, 24 March 1938, Page 5

DRAINAGE OF LAKE ELLESMERE

FAVOURABLE VIEWS EXPRESSED

Favourable views on the drainage scheme for Lake Ellesmere were expressed at a meeting of the North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society last evening, when a letter was received from the Belfast Rod and Gun Club, stating that drainage of the lake would be to the disadvantage of fishing and duck shooting, and asking the society to support its opposition to the scheme. “A great deal of misunderstanding surrounds the question of the drainage of Lake Ellesmere,” said Mr G. Mackenzie. He said that many people thought that drainage would mean the elimination of the lake. Actually, however, bringing the water down to sea level would still leave an area of 35,000 acres. Every shooter would be better served with the lake at sea-level than in its present condition, as they would then have access to every corner. Opposition to the scheme to a large extent was the result of misunderstanding. If the scheme were successful the area would be reduced from 54,000 to 35.000 acres, and the mouths of the rivers would be considerably improved. They would scour out and would soon be much better. Professor E. Percival said that he supported Mr McKenzie’s views from a different aspect. It had been thought that the drainage of the lake would lead to the destruction of weed, but investigations had been made some years ago and the council at that time had been satisfied that the stabilising of the level of the lake would have no deleterious effect on the weed. From his own investigations he found that there was an enormous amount of food in the weed, and if the level of the lake never rose one millimetre above sea-level there would be plenty of food for all the fish that were required.