Grey Bar Depth Shallowest For Two Years

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 May 1949, Page 4

Grey Bar Depth Shallowest For Two Years

Shoaling has reduced tfie amount of water at the Grey river mouth to the lowest level for two years, and as a result two colliers are unable to depart. They are the Kiwitea, which, with coal for Napier, was ready for sea on Wednesday evening, and the Gabriella, which completed coal loading for Wellington last night. Soundings taken on the bar yesterday revealed a high-water depth of only 17ft lOin, giving the two colliers only a 16-inch clearance, though the cargoes of both had been substantially restricted due to the conditions. In view of the considerable swell at the harbour mouth this clearance was inadequate to allow the ships to risk a crossing.

The bar has not been so shallow since May, 1947, when a depth of 16ft lOin was recorded, and the only other comparably low depth in recent years was in June, 1946. With almost no hope of an early improvement in the situation, the harbour authorities plan to attempt to clear the port on tonight’s tide, when the tug will be used to assist the colliers out to sea.

The dry weather experienced on the West Coast for the past month, associated with other conditions, is one of the major causes of the bar shoaling, which is gradually increasing each day, and it is unlikely that there will be any improvement until general rain brings flooding, when the force of the river woud scour the accretions.