Funds for study sought

Press, 2 October 1979, Page 6

Funds for study sought

Five local authorities in Christchurch will be asked to contribute to research on erosion and soil stability on the Port Hills. The North Canterbury Catchment Board will ask the Christchurch, Paparoa, Heathcote and Lyttelton councils, and the 'Christchurch Drainage Board, for i between $lOOO and $2OOO each to set up a research fund.

The money will be used to study soil problems on the Port Hills, and will be administered by the catchment board. Allocations to

various projects would be made on the recommendation of the Port Hills Erosion Research Co-ordinating Committee, set up in 1977 after several wet winters and increasing erosion and stability problems on the hills.

In a letter to the authorities. the board’s secretary (Mr E. R. Wood) said studyprojects planned for the area came before the committee for approval. It would be recommended in some cases that postgraduate university students or similar research agencies

do the work. Funds would often be required for limited travelling and minor equip-1 ment, although most of the I sophisticated scientific gear was already available at the university, said Mr Wood. Projects which had

a general application to the Port Hills, would be fin-i anced by the contributions! rather than isolated prpb-j lem-solving. The local authorities con-! cerned will also be told ofi the Government funds! available for projects of this | type. i