Consultants to run Glenmark scheme

Press, 27 April 1983, Page 3

Consultants to run Glenmark scheme

Royds, Sutherland and McLeay will take over management of the Glenmark irrigation scheme from the Hurunui County Council. The chairman of the Hurunui council, Mr Clutha Mackenzie, said yesterday that the consultants would take over management and provide a site engineer and other staff. The council would continue to be involved with the scheme, but it was not yet known how the arrangement would work. The scheme’s future was thrown in doubt earlier this year when it was discovered that several of its dams leaked.

Mr Mackenzie said that since the resignation of the County Engineer, Mr L. McDonald, and because the project engineer, Mr Kevin Roberts, was leaving after a two year contract to travel overseas, it had been necessary to consider the management of the scheme.

Because the scheme was in limbo at present while reports, were prepared on sealing the dams, and financing was being considered, it had been decided not to employ an engineer for the scheme, or supporting staff, because there might not be much for them to do.

Mr Mackenzie said he would visit Wellington within the next few weeks to try to raise more finance for the scheme, to enable farmers to do on-farm work so they could use the water when it was available.

To complete the first 10 dams on the scheme within the estimate would leave no finance available for onfarm work. The county would not consider making this finance available out of its own account.

“I have every confidence that the whole scheme as set out originally will be completed. The only uncertainty is the availability of

finance from central Government,” said Mr Mackenzie. Because of the uncertainty about the 10 dams that were almost completed, there would be a delay. However, Mr Mackenzie said, he hoped that approval could be given to continue in October or November, plus a chance of some more finance before the end of the financial year. The scheme would be completed, but not in the time originally planned. The County Clerk, Mr A. J. McKendry, said that to date expenditure on the scheme was $2,692,524. The monetary authority was $3,292,000. The Ministry of Works had said that if expenditure exceeded the authority, the county would have to cover the costs.

The Ministry had also advised that farmers should do no more on-farm work until the results of investigations were known.