RIVER SURVEYS

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 59, Issue 4279, 15 May 1950, Page 9

RIVER SURVEYS

PIAKO IMPROVEMENT PRELIMINARY work REPORT ON DIVERSION CUT

The preliminary field work on the survey of the Piako river improvement scheme had now reached a point on the Waitoa river about a mile above its confluence with the Piako river. A further three miles of survey work on the Waitoa river would reach the most southerly end of the flooding area in which area stop-banking would be called for, stated Mr G. Davies, chief engineer to the Hauraki Catchment Board, at its May meeting held recently in Te Aroha.

Mr Davies went on to state that the survey of a proposed diversion cut for the Piako river immediately below Maukoro 'landing was also complete. The staff of the Department jof Scientific and Industrial Research which was endeavouring to test the clays was experiencing some difficulty in getting clean samples for analysis. New apparatus was being designed to try and extract the samples in the condition required. In the meantime bearing tests had been taken in

various places in the peat and the results of those would be communicated to the board in due course. Progress was now being made by the Ministry of Works in preparing the details for the |contruction of gauging stations on both the Piako and the Waitoa rivers. In conjunction with the Ministry of Works, inspections had been made of possible sites for gauging stations on the Waihou and the Ohinemuri rivers. Those would be followed up with detailed surveys for further investigation, concluded Mr Davies.