Borough Works

Hutt News, Volume 11, Issue 10, 4 August 1937, Page 5

Borough Works

ALIOBTOWN DRAINS

OBVIATING FLOODING.

The inadequacy of .the storniwater drains in the Alicetowri area ' has for years past been a source of trouble to the Borough Council. During periods of heavy rain the streets of the district have been subject to bad surface flooding ov. lag to the small size of the main diu.us. The Borough Engineer (Mr. JT. Mainland) has prepared a scheme for the entire remodelling of the system based on the calculated needs of the area when fully occupied and supplied with sealed roads, the latter necessarily requiring a quicker get-away for the water. At present the whole of the area east of' Victoria Street and a large portion of the area to the west drains into a main ' drain in Victoria iStreet which, from its size, is totally inadequate to carry away the water. The new scheme provides for a large drain varying from 21 inches to 12 inches in diameter to pass idown Fitzherbert Street, and the whole of the area east of Victoria Street will drain into this central drain, the drainage as at present finding its way into the closed arm of the Hutt Kiver through the present main culvert. Provision has also been made for the drainage from the extended Central Sichool area to be carried into the Fitzherbert Street drain. The present inadequate drain in Victoria Street will not be interfered with, and this will obviate the cutting up of this street. The northern portion of the new drain will pass down Victoria Street for a short distance, but this portion will be laid either under the footpath or under the eastern haunch of the road close to the channel. Tho difficulty of draining this area is caused by the low-lying nature of the ground, which is very little above river level. The present scheme will prove adequate, except for such times |When high tides and flodds cause the closed arm of the river to fill up, and then the water will back up the drains 110 matter how large they may be. The only means of overcoming this difficulty would be the installation of pumps,

The work of excavating for the main drain and the feeder drains from the side streets will be 'begun almost immediately by unemployed lab cur, it having been arranged to subsidise the labour of twenty men for about three or four months. The Borough Engineer proposes to do the work under a series of small contracts. Street Widening. Another work which will shortly be put in hand in their neighbouThooid will be the widening of a .portion pf Wakefield Street west qnd a portion of' Victoria Street south, This work will be carried on under an arrangement with the owners of land which is 'being subdivided. Unemployed labour will be used en a portion of this work. It is understood that the Government will find eight-ninths of the actual labour costs, the botough finding the balance.