WAIMEA COUNTY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 10 February 1933, Page 3

WAIMEA COUNTY

ENGINEER’S REPORT

FLOOD DAMAGE IN WANGAMOA, STOKE AND APPLEBY RIDINGS

At to-day’s monthly meeting of the Waimea County Council the County Engineer (Mr \V. Bullivant) reported as follows on tlie work done in various ridings during January. Reference is made to flood damage in the Wangamoa, Stoke and Appleby ridings. Wangamoa Riding. —Work on the stopping sidling near Dinner creek on the Wangamoa. Hill has been completed and widening operations at the foot of the hill where the outside edge of the road has subsided into the stream are now in hand. With the chairman tin? engineer visited various roads at the beginning of the month. Heavy rains on 31st January and Ist February' caused a certain amount of scouring of road surface through the Wangamoa Valley and flood conditions in the Maitai river have caused extensive damage on the Maitai road which is now impassable for vehicular traffic. Application has been made for an Unemployment relief camp to be established by the Public Works Department to put this road in order, meanwhile the necessary work to make the road passable for traffic is being done. Stoke Riding.—Patching work has been done on the bitumen between Stoke and Richmond. Heavy flood damage has been sustained on the Poorman’s Valley road. The unemployment relief work carried out in straightening the stream through Mrs Bisley’s property has been rendered useless by the exceptional amount of stone carried by the stream. Considerable scouring has taken place on the road and a short length of road lias been taken out just below Mrs Barr’s property, directly attributable to constriction of the stream bed by fencing. The engineer could not recommend the replacement of the road on the same line unless such obstructions were removed, and the alternative of a deviation would involve taking the road through a line piece of bush. Investigation into the cost of the proposed water supply at Stoke is nearly completed. Appleby Riding.—Local heavy rain in January caused flooding on the Eves Valley road, the surface being scoured in places and the filling being stripped from a new 3ft pipe culvert near Mr Kempthorne’s property. Extremely heavy floods in the Wairoa river on Ist February eroded the toe of the approach filling at the west bank abutment of the Appleby bridge and caused the subsidence of the first pile pier from the west bank. Piles were driven here about a year ago 15ft into'the river bed. Stone sausages and willow protection work on the west bank stood reasonably well, but a definite protection scheme should be adapted here as this bank for a short distance 'above the bridge is receivingtile full force of the flood flow. It is hoped to obtain Highway Board assistance to endeavour to hold the river in its present channel. The bridge has been temporarily opened for light traffic by the provision of a gangway Oft in width between whcelguards. Fortyfive foot birch piles will be driven at the subsided pier and the bridge lifted. Temporary work only will be done at the abutment until further inspection has been made. A footbridge on O’Connor’s road leading to Xieman’s was washed away and will have to be replaced. The main highway between the Appleby butter factory and the Appleby bridge had the surface carpet swept off in many places. Flooding on the Nelson-Westport main highway at the Wairoa river bridge at Brightwater was very extensive, reaching from Burk’s bank to the hotel. The bridge approaches stood up to the abnormal conditions very well, only the commencement of the approaches being washed out at each end of the bridge. The Council’s machinery depot at Brightwater was flooded, timber washed about, pipes broken and a large hole eroded on the boundary of the paddock. The engineer recommended fencing and the planting of a strip of willows along part of Mr F. Page’s river frontage. This could be done by unemployment relief labour in the autumn. Minor damage was experienced °n the Aniseed Valley road, Serpentine and Minor tracks, and repair work had been authorised.

A gross case of an obstructed stream bed has been brought under notice at the foot of the Aniseed Valley Hill. The stream in question rises and flows through Mr Percy Bush’s property close to Mr C. Jordan’s property, and crosses a public road through a square concrete culvert into Mr Chisnall’s property. The culvert is at present completely obstructed by flood debris, in addition to two large willows, one of which has partly fallen over, completely obstructing the stream bud and has forced the water out of its proper course, and across Mr Jordan’s garden onto the road. Notices to clear the creek bed have been served, and it is recommended to prosecute unless the notice is complied with. Wai-iti Riding.—Following the heavy rains a large slip came down on the Wairoa gorge road near Harman’s; this has been cleared. A 3ft pipe culvert has been installed on the Mt. Heslington road. Minor flood damage on the Lee Valley road and Bryant’s road, Brightwater, has been repaired. Piledriving and repairs to the Pigeon Valley bridge, Wakefield, are in hand. It is necessary to close the bridge during the driving of the centre piles to the piers and in order to obstruct traffic as little as possible these piles will be driven at night and the bridge will accordingly be closed to traffic between the hours of 7 p.m. and 7 a.in. on various nights to be advertised. Motupiko Hiding.—The engineer inspected the collapsed bridge on Smith’s gully road and was unable to recommend its replacement in view of the fact that a reasonable ford could be obtained. If such a ford was satisfactory to the settler interested, he recommended that a sum of £1 be contributed towards its construction. An estimate for the installation of a twin 3ft pipe culvert at the Wararewa splash on the Motueka-Kohatu main highway was £73. However there are not sufficient funds available on this highway to carry out the work this vear.

Wangapeka Riding. —Work carried out by settlers on the Lamb Valley road has been inspected. Three days gravelling has been done on the Hope Saddle. Complaints have been received that heavy traffic has been using! the Tadmor-Glenhope road during wet weather. It is hoped that it will not be necessary for the Council to close the saddle to heavy traffic during the summer months, but if this practice is persisted in there appears to be no alternative. Authority has now been

received for the expenditure of £25, £2 for £l, on the Wangapeka-Roaring river track ancl this work can be put hi hand this month.

Dovedale Riding.—The committee appointed considered tenders for the construction of the Brandy creek bridge and of two tenders that of Mr C. E. O’Brien, the lowest, was accepted. The reinforced concrete culvert on the Wakefield-Woodstock main highway as been completed. Work on the bridge over the Clarke river, Baton, near Bromell’s, is in hand and the first pier has been poured. An bid wooden culvert on the west bank road near McGaviston’s has been replaced by 2ft concrete pipes. A portion of the west bank road of the Motueka-Kohatu main highway has been graded -during the month.

■ Motueka Riding.—Timber for the complete redecking of the bridge on tlie Motueka wharf road has been ordered and should be delivered, during the next month. Timber has also been ordered for redecking a small bridge on the main highway in Riwaka and for repairs to the Sandy Bay footbridge. The metalling contract oil tlie main highway in Riwaka lias been completed. The surface carpet on the. Motueka bridge lias been patched and trees and debris brought down by the recent floods have been cleared from the piers. The widening of tlie right bank approach to the Riwaka bridge has been completed. Repairs to a small bridge on the Little Sydney road have been authorised.

Moutere Riding.—Main highways throughout the riding have been graded, and metalling has been done in Tarrant’s road. Metalling has also been done on Dicker’s road, Eden’s road, a'tid some patching work done in the Tasman district. Arrangements have been made to carry out the proposed culvert work at Mnriri. The engineer was unable to recommend a culvert at the junction, on account of the expense of a long line of large pipes, the had fall and the length of the ditching required. A start has been made with widening a corner oil the Gardiner’s Valley-Cemetery road just above its junction with the main highway, but the completion of the work will be left till the winter. The report was adopted.