RIVER CONTROL

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 263, 4 October 1940, Page 5

RIVER CONTROL

MANAWATU-OROUA BOARD

lIANGIOTU BRIDGE PROBLEM

Tlie Manawatu-Oroua River Board met yesterday, those present being Messrs J’. Callesen (chairman), W. S. Carter, H. Seilert, W, Jackson, B. G. Gower, H. J. Lancaster, T. D. Lynch, It. J. Law and S. Parsons.

The (Sluggish River Drainage Board, in a letter, asked that, in order to prevent flooding, work be carried out on a low bank of tho Oroua River between the Rangiotu bridge and tho mouth of the main drain.

Mr Lancaster said that this presented difficult problems. It appeared that i the request for improvements to the | Rangiotu bridge had been rejected, and the bridge clearance could not take the water now in time of flood. It was left to Mr Lancaster to investigate the matter. The Kairanga County Council wrote stating that tbe delay in tho preparation of the plans for the reconstruction of the Rangiotu bridge over the Oroua River was not due to any neglect in tho council’s office. Until the final decision of the Public Works Department as to the ultimate course of the Oroua River below the present Rangiotu bridge was made known, the ultimate depth of the abutments could not be determined. The general design of the structure had been approved and little delay in the final completion of tho plans was anticipated once tho final levels were determined.

Mr Lancaster said the bridge clearance was definitely too small to take the water away. The board had to try to get something done to let the water away. All requests for relief were dependent on the same position. The bridge was a menace, he contended. No further action was taken in the meantime.

The chairman and Messrs Lancaster and Parsons were appointed a subcommittee to investigate contracts for proposed banking work on the Hunt Estate and Pukiowski’s properties, on the Oroua River. The engineer (Mr H. R. Farquhar) reported that only three chains of banks had been removed to date on Taupunga Point No. 2, but the contractor expected to make much better progress this month. An inspection after the fresh of September showed that the widening of the recently cut channel in the Taupunga Cut, in the No. 6 area, was in progress, also that a considerable part of the heap of spoil near the inlet had slipped into the channel and been washed away. An inspection was made of the old Moutoa Drainage Hoard bank in Poplar lload. The bank along the river was weak for a distance of 25 chains, and subject to wave action, which caused a break in August last year. Seymour's bank was the only work in the schedule for improving stop-banks that was not being proceeded with, and should now be put in hand. ~ .. It was decided to draw the attention of the Moutoa Drainage Board to the present condition of the Poplar Road bank in view of the flooding which might arise from it. It was said that the board had received several complaints about- the bank from settleis in the area.