SERIOUS EROSION OF LAND

Southland Times, Issue 23930, 23 September 1939, Page 15

SERIOUS EROSION OF LAND

Flooding Of Oreti River WALLACETOWN FARMS AFFECTED Urgent action in the erection of a stopbank to arrest the erosion of valuable farm lands in the Wallacetown district caused by the flooding of the Oreti river was advocated by the county engineer (Mr G. R. Milward) at the meeting of the Southland County Council yesterday. The work will begin today. Mr Milward said that the Oreti river had made a more serious erosion and it was in danger of connecting with the Tomoporaka stream. Within the last 22 months the river had eroded a distance of a chain of the intervening land and had reached the stopbank erected by the property owners several years ago. The resident engineer of the Public Works Department informed him that arrangements were being made immediately to let a contract for a diversion channel to cut off the horse-shoe bend in the Oreti river and thus relieve the pressure. BIG EXCAVATION WORK “There will be many thousand yards of excavation to be done, and it will be a few months before the channel can be opened, so that some action is necessary immediately to prevent the Oreti actually connecting with the Tomoporaka," said Mr Milward. “The Waitoru farm owners have an excavating plant on their property, and have agreed to construct a new stopbank about seven chains long and one chain east of the present river bank to prevent the overflow of the river at this point. This will not have any effect on the erosion of the river bank, but is necessary for the prevention of the flow across a paddock, which would have the effect of preparing a channel for the main river.” As there was still a considerable quantity of snow in the upper reaches of the Oreti and a possibility of floods urgent action was necessary, added Mr Milward. He recommended the council to contribute £l5 to the owners of Waitoru farm who would carry out the work, beginning today. He estimated that about 700 cubic yards of filling .would be necessary and that the river face would have to be turfed. It was agreed to contribute £l5 to the work.