IMPROVEMENT OF ESTUARY

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25654, 17 November 1948, Page 4

IMPROVEMENT OF ESTUARY

PREPARATIONS FOR SOUNDING

The weather had so far not permitted soundings to be taken off the Sumner bar. but all signals and guiding marks had been prepared and a tide gauge constructed, said a report on improvements to the Estuary, approved last evening by the Christchurch Drainage Board. Samples of the mud from the Estuary were being analysed at Canterbury University College, and the Otago Harbour Board had forwarded specimens of harbour pug so that they could be compared with the material from the Estuary.

The chairman of the works committee (Mr W. P. Glue) said some trouble had been caused by pug in Otago Harbour, but so far there was no evidence of pug in the Estuary. The board also approved a report on the purchase of a steel dredge from Nokomai for work in the Estuary, It decided to exercise an option to purchase a 175 horsepower electric motor, at present installed on the Nokomai dredge. The engineer (Mr E. F. Scott) said that in Dunedin, very heavy pug had been encountered in dredging operations, but it was improbable that similar trouble would occur in the Estuary. However a margin of power for pumping was advisable. Negotiations had been progressing with the Municipal Electricity Department for the supply of power. The difficulties of supply with a trailing cable carrying 11,000 volts had been pointed out, and the supply to the dredge might have to be discontinued during any electricity shortage.