Severe flooding in Oxford County

Press, 5 March 1987, Page 2

Severe flooding in Oxford County

Rangiora reporter

Several days of heavy rain has caused severe flooding problems in Oxford County.

About 150 mm of rain has fallen at Coopers Creek and 200 mm in Lees Valley and the Ashley Gorge since last Friday evening. The Oxford County works superintendent, Mr Brian Barrett, said that the Coopers Creek bridge was closed to heavy traffic because of abutment damage which might not be repaired until the end of the month.

Flooding had sucked the material from beneath the road on the approach to the bridge, leaving the piles exposed. Some small slips had fallen on the Lees Valley Road, and Gillespies bridge was damaged, cutting access into and out of the valley. Flooding of the Ashley River underneath the bridge had resulted in a pile being washed out and the bridge deck subsiding.

Mr Barrett said it would be about a fortnight before the damage was repaired, but as soon as the river dropped attempts would be made to create a ford so that at least four-wheel-drive vehicles could cross.

Coopers Creek and the Eyre River, which have both been dry for several months, were now flooding also.

All 14 fords in the county were impassable.

About 100 mm of rain has fallen in Oxford township over the last four to five days. Mr Barrett said he did not think the properties which were burnt during the recent fire were suffering from much flooding. “At this stage the rain is doing a good job as they have been having trouble driving posts for new fences.”

He said yesterday afternoon that the sun was once again shining at Oxford, although it had been raining most of the morning.