£336,000 Waitaki River Scheme Report Accepted

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30287, 13 November 1963, Page 9

£336,000 Waitaki River Scheme Report Accepted

(From Our Ow» Reporter) TIMARU, Nov. 11. A classification report for a proposed scheme of river control works to cost £336,000 over 42 miles from the Waitaki dam to the sea was accepted unanimously at a meeting of the Waitaki Catchment Commission at Kurow. The proposals, which will be spread over 10 or 14 annual programmes, will be put to a public meeting on December 3. “It is a travesty of justice that a river with such complete shingle traps on its upper reaches should be deteriorating so rapidly over its lower reaches,” said the report. "With the development of the growth on the many islands and the river being forced further to the sides, the channel now occupies a width of up to one and a half miles in places. The river occupies some 29.200 acres and is still spreading. Some experts consider it may eventually reach the base of the higher terraces on either side. “If a fairway of adequate width is cleared, some 15,200 acres would then become berm land and be gradually brought back into light grazing production again. “It is the loss of this heavier land near the river that adversely affects many farm units as a whole and in some cases could make farms uneconomic.” said the report. There were records of stock losses: Crown Lands Department records showed 800 acres leasehold lost to the river, and there had been damage to pylons, and to the Deep Creek-Waimate-Kurow State highway, the report said. This highway (No 82) had been flooded 10 times in the last 40 years. Vulnerable To Damage County and borough water supply intake works had been damaged, and were vulnerable to more damage. The values of many properties had been so depressed that there was little rateable value left but, as the scheme developed, these lands should increase in value. The scheme covers the clearing of the fairway 24 chains wide, willow’s being used to cover margins, the blocking of side channel? with retards and stopbanks, the developing of desirable side channels by cuts and rock raking: and the protection of eroding banks. The report said that if the scheme was carried out over 14 years, £24,000 a year was expected to come from the following: New Zealand Electricity Department. £4OOO, a year; Crown Land Department £lOOO. local beneficiaries £lOOO, State subsidy £lB.OOO. The three local bodies which will gain substantial benefits from the proposed scheme are: Oamaru Borough Council’s land and water supply intake works. Waitaki

County Council's water supply intake w’orks, Waimate County Council's roads works and communications. 'These local bodies have been approached for annual contributions for 15 years and we believe that those requests may be favourably supported to the extent of about £3OO a year for 15 years," said the report. Reduce Contributions “These contributions would then reduce local ratepayers' annual contributions from £lO5O to £750 a year," the report continued. This reduction would allow ratepayers to make double contributions (£l5OO a year) for the first five years which, with local bodies’ contribution (£300), New Zealand Electricity Department (£7200), Crown Lands (£1800), and subsidy at three for one (£32.400), would give

a total of £43.200 a year. The annual programme could then be spread over 10 years, the first five years at £43.200 and the remaining period at £24.000 The report added: "Contributions by the three local bodies should not only ease the burden for local ratepayers. but should provide a united front with the commission and ratepayers to secure the best works as quickly as possible with the money available.” The report was adopted after an inspection of the whole of the works and classification of the Waitaki regime channel. Die report was submitted by Mr J. W. T. Anstey. who assisted the commission’s classifier (Mr R. Maxwrfl) Engineering works for the proposed scheme will be carried out by the Ministry of Works.