POWER BOARD’S WEIR

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 15 June 1940, Page 6

POWER BOARD’S WEIR

REINSTATEMENT ACROSS WAIROA RIVER STRONG PROTEST BY COUNTY COUNCIL REQUEST THAT WORK CEASE The Wnimea County Council at yesterday’s meeting unanimously passed a motion strongly protesting against the reinstatement of the weir across the Wairoa river by the Waimea Electric Power Board and asking that work on it cease until the controlling authority’s powers are determined. The chairman of a public meeting held recently at Brightwater forwarded to the council a copy of a letter forwarded to the Minister of Public Works regarding the flooding of Brightwater and a major scheme for river protection work. Councillor J. Pugh moved that the Power Board be asked to remove the weir across the Wairoa river or to provide flood gates in the weir to allow the free run of the river. He said there was no doubt that the weir was causing a lot of the flooding trouble. The weir had already caused the river bed behind it to fill up from 3to 4 feet. It was no use protecting property adjacent to the river if the weir was reconstructed to again make a solid block in the river. He said the Power Board had no right to erect the weir and so block the river. If anyone went along with dynamite and blew up the weir no, one could object as the board has no right to block a river. Councillor H. Everett seconded the motion and agreed that the council should ask the board to pull down the weir.

Councillor J. Murcott said that the chairman of the Power Board had agreed at a public meeting that the Waimea County Council had had full control of the rivers. He had inspected the weir and found that concrete work was in progress right across it. Even though the council might have made a mistake in the first place in not objecting to the erection of the weir, it should now object to its reinstatement. As the controlling body for the river the council should forward its objection to the Public Works Department. Councillor L. A. Higgins asked if the council had power to ask the board to remove the weir. The motion was an extensive and strong one and to get it carried out would be difficult. He sug gested that the council should make sure of its power in the matter. Councillor W. Martin said it would be dangerous to delay the matter and allow the weir to be completed. He agreed that the weir was partly the cause of the flooding. If the board erected the weir it should erect protective banks to prevent the water running through Brightwater. The chairman (Councillor Corder) suggested that the council object to the progress of the work and in the meantime investigate its authority in the matter. Councillor Pugh said the suggestion would be acceptable if the work was stopped in the meantime. If the council sanctioned this work there would be nothing to prevent others doing the same lower down the river. While the Public Works Department had powers it had no right to block a stream. The Power Board should be told that it would have to take the responsibility for any damage done as a result of the weir.

Councillor Pugh agreed to amend hie motion to read that the council strongly objects to the weir being reinstatedand that a request be made that all work cease until the powers of the controlling authority are determined. The seconder agreed to the amendment to the motion which was carried unanimously.