DEATH KNELL

Northern Advocate, 2 July 1935, Page 5

DEATH KNELL

THE WEIR SCHEME COST WOULD BE TOO HIGH. £16,000 MENTIONED. The proposal to erect a weir across the Hatea River in place of the proposed new Victoria Bridge is- almost dead. At last evening’s Borough Council meeting, Cr R, S. Finch, who had been responsible for the holding up of the Victoria Bridge arrangements until the scheme for a weir had been investigated, more or less sounded the death knell with the statement that the joint weir 1 and roadway would be too expensive. A detailed plan of the weir had been considered. Mr Worley had suggested that the weir should consist of an embankment made of reinforced concrete sheet piling, and parapet walls, filled in with silt and surfaced with bitumenous macadam to a level of six-feet above h.w.s.t. Provision was made for an eight-foot diameter scour culvert supplied with a penstock gate on the upstream side, also 20 spillway culverts of three-foot diameter, having their inverts at high-water level. He estimated the cost at £9,750 plus 10 per cent, for engineering, supervision and contingencies, £975, making the total cost £10,725. If the scour culverts and penstock were omitted the cost would be reduced by £BOO. In his opinion, however, such a scour would be necessary, in order to remove any silt that might accumulate against the upstream face of the embankment. In addition the scour would counteract any tendency there might be for the wharf basin to silt up. If that should occur —and he did not think there was any chance of its doing so—the lake could be emptied at regular intervals at low tide. The large volume of water discharging through an eight-foot culvert would have a big scouring action for several chains downstream. The flow could be regulated to any desired extent required. Cr Finch said there had been a great deal of support for the suggestion, apart from launch owners, but it seemed that the weir and the bridge in .conjunction was not feasible, on account of the expense. However, he still felt that a weir further up the river would be very desirable. Cr Finch added that the cost of the weir and bridge was out of the question. Mr Jones: “It would cost £16,000.” Cr Finch: “I doubt if that would cover it.” The speaker said that when the watershed of the Hatea River was taken into consideration- —it was between 8000 and 10,000 acres —more culverting than had been suggested by the Harbour Board Engineer and Mr Worley (who had not gone thoroughly into the question) would be necessary. . His motion that the report be received and all papers in connection with the scheme be filed for futux’e reference was carried.