NELSON HARBOUR

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 8, 4 October 1929, Page 9

NELSON HARBOUR

ENGINEER’S REPORT

Dominion Special Service.

Nelson, October .3,

Mr. Leslie Reynolds submitted a report" to the Harbour Board yesterday on the present condition of the harbour. ’ He stated that from Investigations made seaward from the. new entrance and toward the Tahuna sands he- was satisfied that no shoaling had taken place in, those directions during the last twen-ty-five years, but that the depths had increased, thus indicating that so far as the present entrance was concerned there was not likely to be any encroachment of sand from the Tahuna area that -would interfere with the navigation of the channel outside the harbour. He found that the travel and deposit of shingle between the lighthouse and the magazine was causing a greater volunie of water: to rip along the Boulder Bank and through the channel than had to occurred, with the result that at certain periods of the flood and ebb stream' it was difficult to navigate the entrance. It was therefore necessary that the entrance should be widened or, as an alternative, a north breakwater constructed to hold up against the influence of the incoming tide when it was at its greatest velocity. He recommended in the meantime that the construction of the north mole be proceeded with and extended seaward for a distance at least equal to or in advance of the present mole, with the construction of the north mole, together with a greater waterway area. He was satisfied that the navigation of the entrance would be easier and the sea range; in the . harbour considerably less. . .also . that the depths in the channel from, the; outer end of the mole to a position seawards toward the lighthouse would be considerably increased. He was-also of opinion that if the entrance were widened to 350 feet at the bottom, witha maximum depth of 20 feet at low waterspring tides, that, when obtained, wouldenable large overseas steamers to work, the port on a draft of twenty-seven, feet neap tides. If the work was carried out as suggested provision would then .have. been made to satisfy the requirements of large overseas steamers working'the" port with an ample margin of. safety. ; The cost of the combined work was esti--mated at £58,000. In reply to a question. Mr. Reynolds said that whether anything else was done or not the mole would have to be put in.. The chairman (Mr. H. R. Duncan). said the report would set at rest an impression that the harbour, in a few years, would be unsafe for navigation. The planquite dissipated that view. So far as- he oould gather from Air. Reynolds the harbour would be serviceable for.another 25 or 30 years. Considering the amountof money other boards had spent on improvements the Nelson Board was in a good position. Anything further than the . mole would have to be done out of loan. Fruitgrowers and others should , understand that if the cut was to be deepened and widened and 27 feet to'3o-feet of water obtained, the work would have tobe done out of loan.