"SILTED UP"

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16375, 24 June 1927, Page 2

"SILTED UP"

"DRY GROUND" IN CUT -. EFFECT OF RECENT FLOOD The effect of The recent flood upon the channel of the old river was referred to vesterdav, when it was reported that the "depth had been materially increased as a result of the scouring'done by the fast current. Yesterday's report indicated that some silting had occurred in the diversion cut. but it was not until last night that the full consequences of the silting were known. The soundings completed last night indicated that at low water there are places in the cut which would be eompletelv above water, but for range, the official figures showing "zero" at these spots. The silt carried down by the floods on Mondav and Tuesday eddied into the cut, and dropped in heavy deposits under the shelter of the corner where the dredge has been working durinc the past few weeks. .From a point "opposite the old signal station site down towards the mouth ot the out there are only a few inches of water for some distance, and on the basis used ordinarily for the calculation of depth there is no water at all over a sizable area. There are variations in the depth as the mouth of the. diversion* cut is approached, but everywhere there is a considerable lessening of the depth as a result of the flood. It will be remembered that the cut had been dredged to a depth of 12ft4 and that some critics of the operations had suggested that the first flood'would silt up the channel. However, it is believed that once (he diversion wall is complete, the silt deposits will be removed by the current, which will maintain in ordinarv weather a depth of some oft. throughout the length of the diversion, increasing this depth according to the volume of water in time of flood.