Flooded farms if Woodend grows?

Press, 20 July 1977, Page 2

Flooded farms if Woodend grows?

It, as Woodend expands, no special provision is made tor the removal of stormwater from the township, the farmland between there and Kaiapoi will become a swamp each winter.

The Mayor of Kaiapoi (Mr B. O. Williams) told the executive committee of the Canterbury Regional Planning Authority that there would be “a tremendous problem” from stormwater if expansion took place at Woodend.

Mr Williams said although some stormwater from Woodend went north into the Ashley River, the bulk of it went south into the Kaiapoi River. “As a result, it is planned to flood hundreds of acres of good farm land. This authority cannot allow it until the water can get directly Into the Kaiapoi River,” he said.

“I believe the authority has got to do something about it,” said Mr Williams. “The provision that has been made will be

totally inadequate for the planned urban expansion. It is my view that there should be no thought of increasing industry.” Mr J. L. Robb, the authority’s regional traffic engineer, said there were specialist local bodies such as the Christchurch Drainage Board and the North Canterbury Catchment Board, with the requisite expertise.

“U is a matter of whether we can get them to deal with this,” he said. “We don’t have the expertise.”

“But this is planning, ’ said Mr Williams. ‘We must be concerned. We have a plan (tbe indicative plan) which says 5000 people should go to Rangiora, 5000 to Kaiapoi, and 2000 to Woodend. "Therefore we must start to liaise with the Catchment Board,” he said. “If we are going to put 2000 in Woodend without special provision for stormwater, we are going to have a swamp from there to Kaiapoi all winter.”