WAIMUMU STREAM DRAINAGE

Southland Times, Issue 23942, 7 October 1939, Page 9

WAIMUMU STREAM DRAINAGE

PROPOSED WORK ON OLD CHANNEL MAIN LINE TO BE COMPLETED FIRST The work of straightening the old Waimumu stream above the Waimumu road will not be started until work on the main channel is completed, according to a decision made by the Southland County Council yesterday, i A letter was received from the town clerk of the Mataura Borough Council outlining the proposed work on the old channel. _ The engineer (Mr G. R. Milward) said that although the work was desirable from the land drainage point of view it should not be carried out until the work on the main channel was completed. As the main channel stood at present there was considerable overflow in the upper reaches with every flood, and the water found its way across country to the old stream. “If the channel is cut then this flood water will be speedily conveyed to the lower reaches below the Waimumu road and accentuate the flooding of county ratepayers’ properties below the Waimumu road,” added the engineer. “I recommend, therefore, that the council approve of the idea of straightening the old channel, but that the work should be deferred until the mam scheme is put under way. The proposals for the main scheme have been completed and can now be forwarded to the Public Works Department. The vote on the estimates is £lOOO, £1 for £l." It was agreed that the work be held up until lhe major scheme was completed. , . ... On the recommendation of the engineer (Mr G. R. Milward) it was decided to inform the Conservator of Forests that the council could not accede to his request that the Pebbly Hills road be closed where it passed through the plantation. The engineer said that although not used to any extent at present the road may be an important connecting road in future. “The route traverses a ridge between two watersheds and it would be unwise to close it legally without the provision of an equivalent road,” he added. ORETI RIVER EROSION The council agreed to contribute £lOO towards the cost of the proposed cut in a bend of the Oreti river to divert the main stream and stop erosion now taking place which threatens to give the Oreti river access into the Tomoporakau stream. Advice that the Main Highways Board formally resolved to delegate its powers over the Dipton-Castlerock main highway to the Southland and Wallace County Councils was received from the representative of the District Highways Council (Mr W. G. Pearce). A request that a footpath be formed from East road to the front of the new school at Surrey Park was received

from the Southland Education Board. The matter was referred to the member for the riding and the engineer. TENDERS ACCEPTED The following tenders for roadmaintenance work were accepted:— Wallacetown riding.—Spar Bush school road, W. Dawson, £234/15/-. Winton riding.—Gill road to Springhills, D. Swain, £427. Mataura riding.—Turnbull road, Waikaka, A. W. Hay, £7O/15/6. Toetoes riding.—Otara-Haldane road, R. R. Pullar, £293/5/10.