PROPOSAL TO DAM HOKIANGA NARROWS

Northern Advocate, 21 May 1949, Page 4

PROPOSAL TO DAM HOKIANGA NARROWS

KOHUKOHU, Sat. (Sp.).—The Government is to be asked to dam the Hokianga Harbour at The Narrows, Kohukohu. The proposal is designed to provide an inexhaustible water supply for all harbourside settlement by means of an artificial fresh-water lake in the upper reaches.

Additional benefits would be the construction of a direct road connection over the top of the concrete dam between North and South Hokianga, provision of ap invaluable tourist resort by means of trout-stocking of the lake, elimination of the proposed costly repairs to the Kohukohu and Horeke wharves, etc.

topography of the surrounding country seemed to be suited for dambuilding. It would probably cost no more, he considered, lhan the earlier scheme to connect North and South Hokianga by a bridge at The Narrows or even by provision of a regular vehicular ferry service, which would necessitate construction of expensive concrete ramps on both shores.

No suggestion has been made at this stage of use of the water for powergeneration purposes, although this proposal has been made elsewhere previously. The suggestion that a concrete dam should be built across The Narrows has come from the Kohukohu Town Board, at whose Maj meeting Cmr C. M.. Robertson gave it official status. COST NO MORE THAN BRIDGE

Direct road access between the two halves of the county, which were now peculiarly isolated from each other, would bring many advantages. Hospital accessibility was only one of them. Travelling time to Kaikohe and other parts of Northland would be considerably lessened. Stocking of the fresh-water lake with trout would provide an alternative type of fishing to Northland’s present big-game attractions. After brief discussion, the town, board deputed Cmrs Robertson and R. J. Fell to draft a letter on the lines indicated for forwarding to the Minister of Works (Mr R. Semple). ENGINEER’S OPINION.

He said it appeared to be constructive, progressive and economical. The

Asked to comment on the proposal, the engineer to the Hokianga County Council (Mr 11. Chappell) considered the scheme could not be made to work because, in the first instance, a dam must raise the level of the water behind it. Thus Kohukohu and Horeke townships and thousands of acres of good farmland would be flooded.

The highest tides at the present time came to ’ within only a couple of feet of the wharf planking and of the road surfaces. HARBOUR’S DEEPEST SPOT.

Furthermore, The Narrows represented the deepest part of the entire Hokianga Harbour. Water there was 13 or 14 fathoms in depth—and that was where the dam would have to go. The tide raced out through The Narrows at something like seven or eight knots, which would make a tremendous problem for construction engineers. At ihe Heads, the water-race was notorious, yet the speed would not be much more than half that, while the depth also would be much less. Those points illustrated the peculiar difficulties of taming the tide at The Narrows, He questioned whether such a water supply would be usable for most purposes because of the inevitable drainage into it from farms, townships and rivers.