Big Spillway Through Moutoa

Manawatu Times, Volume 68, Issue 209, 3 September 1943, Page 5

Big Spillway Through Moutoa

The Manawatu-Oroua. River Board yesterday devoted a considerable amount of time to a discussion on how best to get rid of flood waters in the Manawatu River.

Discussing a project to put cuts through a promontory of land owned by Messrs. McGill and Spiers Just below shannon and another cut through Parekawa point further down the river, Mr. R. j. Daw expressed the opinion that it was some 20 to 20 years aiieaxl of time. The land owned by Messrs. Spiers and McGill was valuable, carrying possibly a cow to the acre, and would cost too much money. Further, cuts there would not help very much so long as the bottleneck between the outlets of the Tokomaru and Mangaone Streams remained. Far better would it be to do something with Dr. Wall's spillway. The engineer, Mr. H. R. Farquhar, said the McGiil-Spiers cut would be about 40 chains long (Whlrokino cut was 20 chains). Mr. uw said the McGill-Spiers land was good dairying property whereas on the other side of the river In the Moutoa It was only flax land. Mr. W. S. Carter concurred that the Board should push on with the Dr. Wall spillway which wouid give protection to the whole of the really valuable land in the board’s district. Mr. H. J. Lancaster thought they were discussing something far beyond what the board could do. Mr. H. Seifert said the board would get the full support of the Makerua area lor the spillway scheme at Dr. Wall’s, where sufficient water would go through to give complete relief. The engineer said something would have to be done In view of the present active banking war between Moutoa and Moputaroa. Mr. Law considered that the board should at least restore the banks around the McGill-Spiers property. Mr. Carter thought Moutoa was suffering more under present conditions than it would If Wall's spillway were developed. Mr. Lancaster: Who is going to pay for it? Mr. Carter: The Government will pay a good proportion to protect its flax area, it is only 4* miles across whereas the river goes 2 1 miles now. Mr. Lancaster: How are we going to go about It? Mr. Carter: We will get our plan ready and snow the Government that it will be economically cheaper than fiddling around with a lot of little cuts. Mr. Lancaster: It will be a State undertaking. Mr. Carter moved and Mr. Law seconded: "in view of the enormous amount of expenditure on flood damage repairs, this board is of the definite opinion that the only safe solution of the difficulty is a spillway through Moutoa ii-om Dr. Wall's to Longreach, and asks the Government to investigate the proposal with the view of putting this work through." Tbe motion was carried and it was also decided to send a deputation consisting of Messra Caliessen, Seifert, Law, Lancaster and Carter to Wellington to wait upon the Puttie Works engineers to discuss the possi unities of the scheme. The engineer reported that in view of the extensive willow-planting and protection work carried out by property owners and local bodies with the intention of protecting their own nverb&nk but which in many cases accentuates erosion on the opposite bank downstream, it was recommended that each owner be supplied with a plan of his property showing the lengths of the river which were not to be planted or protected; also that willows that were throwing the current with added force on to a bend now being rapidly eroded, be removed. A request came from ivopane ratepayers calling on the board to effect channel improvements In the Oroua from immediately above the Rongotea Road bridge to the end of the Board's area.— The board decided to investigate the matter, particularly from the financial aspect, the board's funds being low.