CATCHMENT BOARD SUBSIDIES

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27909, 5 March 1956, Page 16

CATCHMENT BOARD SUBSIDIES

FOUR GRANTS APPROVED Approval of four subsidies was received at a meeting of the North Canterbury Catchment Board. The subsidies were:—Cooper’s Creek, £2 for £1 on £2100; lake opening, £2 for £1 on £l5OO (additional); Glasnevin drainage, £2 for £1 on £4750; No. 23 groyne head, Eyre river, £2 for £1 on £750. f The board decided to apply for a £3 for £1 subsidy on the estimated cost of £2500 to rehabilitate 1000 acres of the Grasmere area burnt in January. An inspection win be held to determine the nature of the work and the time the area is to be closed. A proposal by the Kaiapoi Borough Council for a pontoon landing on the north branch of the Waimakariri was not considered advisable.

The Rangiora County Council will be advised that the proposed new bridge over the Cust river at Swannanoa does not qualify for a grant from the board.

Both hut owners’ associations on the lower Selwyn river will be asked to

bring to the notice of their members the need to restrict the speed of motor boats in the lower reaches and to cooperate with the board by supplying the names of offenders so that action may be taken. The Soil Conservation Council will be asked whether finance will be available for a Waimakariri run-off investigation, before works essential for the future are carried out.

The stage of forecasting the run-off to plan protection work further down the river had been reached, said the engineer-in-chief (Mr H. M. Reid). The run-off had been assessed at 150.000 cusecs—and he thought it was about right. Briefly, the proposal was to give some idea of the run-off in varying conditions. No-one appreciated better than he did the variations in rainfall over the catchment area.’ From November 13 to February 12, the rainfall at Arthur’s Pass was 41in, at Avalanche Peak 34.4 in. and at Nigger Hill (Mount White) only 5.3 in.

Mr J. S. Dick (soil conservation officer) said the volume of water passing through the gorge was wanted by the engineers for the designing and planning of protection works, and the soil conservators wanted the information so as to plant the best vegetation to control the run-off.