DRAINAGE SCHEME

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 25021, 11 October 1944, Page 6

DRAINAGE SCHEME

NEW ORGANISATION EARLY TASKS DESCRIBED The character of the new board which would be set up under the Auckland Metropolitan Drainage Act and some of its initial tasks were described yesterday by the engineer-secretary of the Auckland and Suburban' Drainage Board, Mr H. H. Watkins. He said the existing board would be abolished and would hand over to the new body its assets and liabilities. The new hoard will be appointed as soon as possible after the Act becomes operative on February 1. It will consist of 'ls members, eight of whom will be appointed by the Auckland City Council and seven by other local bodies. Of the seven, two will be elected by the Mount Eden and Newmarket Borough Councils, two by the Mount Albert Borough Council and the Mount Roskill Road Board, two by the One Tree Hill, Onehunga and Ellerslie Borough Councils, and one by the Otahuhu Borough Council, the Mount Wellington Road Board and the Papatoetoe Town Board. The first board will retain office until the next municipal elections in 1947. Thereafter, new boards will be appointed every three years about the time of the" municipal elections. Mr Watkins stressed the point that the appointments were the responsibility of the local body members only and that no general poll was involved. Inner and Outer Areas Two specific areas will be contained within the drainage district. There will be an inner area within which the board will have the sole right to construct and control all main drainage systems. This will embrace Auckland City, the boroughs of Mount Eden, Mount Albert, Newmarket, One Tree Hill, Onehunga, Otahuhu and Ellerslie, the Papatoetoe town district, the road districts of Mount Wellington and Mount Roskill, the Auckland Domain and Hospital Reserve, and Motukorea or.Brown's Island. Within the second or outer area no existing drainage systems are to be altered or extended and no new systems are to be installed except with the approval of the board. This area will cover the boroughs of New Lynn and Manurewa, the town districts of Glen Eden, Henderson and Hovrick, Paninure Township Road District, portions of the Titirangi, Waikumete, Waipareira and Waitakere Ridings of the Waitemata County lying within an approximate radius of nine miles of the chief post office, and that portion of the Manukau County within a radius of about 14 miles of the post office. Any portions of the outer area may from'time to time be incorporated _in the inner area. There is also provision whereby portions of the watersheds of the Manukau and Waitemata Harbours not included within the district may be regarded as within the sphere of influence of the board to the extent that it may exercise general approval and control of any drainage systems within the area. Urgency in Some Districts Mr Watkins said that a verv considerable increase would be needed in administrative and engineering staff in order to proceed with the detailed surveys and working drawings for the first instalment of the scheme. What particular portion of the scheme would be started first would be a matter for the new board to decide, while the rate of progress with any portion would be entirely dependent, of course, on the supply of labour and materials, factors • which in turn were influenced by the progress of the war. Urgency existed, however, for the provision of main drainage in the Tamaki and Mount Wellington districts, where very large housing projects were planned, and no doubt this requirement would be given due consideration by the new board. "It must be understood that the investigations and _ surveys which have already been carried out are of a preliminary nature only," Mr Watkins aded. "It will now be necessary to proceed with detailed surveys along the lines of the proposed new main intercepting sewers. In the cases of the submarine sewer between the mainland and Motukorea and the outfall on the northern end of the island soundings and borings will have to be made."