THE HUTT RIVER

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 84, 8 April 1936, Page 8

THE HUTT RIVER

EROSION DANGERS

WATER BOARD AND VALLEY

BOROUGHS

The opinion was definitely expressed at a meeting of the Wellington Cityj and Suburban Water Board today that Lower Hutt and Petone, quite apart from the question of water supply, should re-enter the board, owing to the necessity of co-operation to safeguard the Hutt Valley from erosion. Mr. D. Bowie (Eastbourne) said that members who had visited the board's area were very much impressed with the work being carried on by the forestry officer (Mr. A. N. Perham) and especially with the control over the bush area. The work being done was of immense importance to local bodies. If any local bodies belonged to the board, then Lower Hutt and Petone. should be members, as, apart. from water conservation, they were i more interested from an- economic point of ■ view • than any other local bodies. ■."I think that if we could arrange a ! round the table conference with those bodies," continued Mr. Bowie, "we might induce them to come into the board- again. If the people in the valley knew what we know, they would urge their local bodies to join up." Mr.' W. Greig (Upper Hutt) thought that Lower Hutt and Petone should be invited to see the work being done. The Mayor of Wellington (Mr..T.,C. A. Hislop) said that the bodies had been recently communicated with. The reason they "pulled out" of the board was that they could get their water a little cheaper. Mr. Bowie: Apart from the conservation of water, the preservation of the bush is important to those boroughs. ■The denudation of the hills would haye1 a very detrimental effect, because of the erosion that would follow. ■Mr. W. Appleton: They would have floods all over their area. Mr. Bowie: Yes. I feel: that, if we were not carrying on the work of preserving the bush the stop-banks would not. be sufficient' to. prevent disasters in the district. ."'''■' t . The risk of destruction of the bush from fire in dry years was stressed by other members of the board. The danger about denudation of the bush, said Mr. Hislop, was from the increased run-oft. . '{ ' "Yes," said Mr. Bowie. "Without the preservation of the bush erosion must take place. They are more vitally concerned than Wellington residents." The forestry officer (Mr. Perham) said that there was a belief that river works now in progress would lead to the river so. deepening itself that all danger from flooding would be removed, but this was a rather vague matter. The same thing had gone on for centuries in the case o£ the Mississippi, where" ,they had relied formerly on stop banks, but now water development schemes were being coupled with controlled run-off as the remedy. When the two local bodies had seceded, it was pointed out, the board was discussing a big gravity supply scheme.

Thera would, of course, said Mr.Appleton, eventually have to be a gravity scheme.

It was decided to write to Lower Hutt and Petone inviting representatives to visit the board's areas with members of the board in order to realise the position.