IRRIGATION SCHEME

Grey River Argus, 29 November 1937, Page 8

IRRIGATION SCHEME

BIG MID-CANTERBURY PROJECT.

[Per Press Association.] CHRISTCHURCH, November 27.

A new irrigation scheme to serve 54,000 acres of land in the MayfieldHinds area of Mid-Canterbury was announced to-day by the Minister of Public Works (the Hon. R. Semple). The scheme is to cost £328,000, will take three years to complete, and will provide employment for 120 men. The Minister said that the Rangitata diversion race, already under construction, would divert 100 cusecs of water - from the Rangitata River and would be a source of supply for five large projected schemes in Ashburton County. The Mayfield-Hinds irrigation scheme was the second of these schemes to be authorised, the first section being the AshburtonLyndhurst section, on which work was proceeding. Although the area commanded by the Rangitata diversion race was approximately 460,000 acres, it was intended only to supply sufficient water to irrigate simultaneously 210,000 acres, as it was realised that only half of such a large area would require watex - at one time. In accordance with this policy, the races on the Mayfield-Hinds scheme were designed to deliver - sufficient water to irrigate 54,000 acres out of the 108,000 acres in this scheme.

“The scheme will comprise the construction of several main races branching from the Rangitata diversion race and connecting with a network of distributaries, laterals, and feeder races designed to deliver the water to every farm in the area,” added the Minister.

“The supply will be regulated by numerous head-gates situated at the junction of various races, and racemen will be appointed whose duty it will be to ascertain the farmers' requirements forty-eight hours in advance, and from the compilation of the figures supplied to regulate the gates to supply the water at the places and times required. “The scheme is to be constructed with the aid of the most modern earth-moving machinery, and the estimated cost is £328,000, ox - £6 an aci’e ovex - the 54,000 acres supplied. This cost includes a sum of £34,000. being Hie proportion of the cost of the Rangitata diversion race chargeable to the scheme.”