DAMAGE BY FLOODS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13665, 6 August 1908, Page 6

DAMAGE BY FLOODS.

: IN LEVELS COUNTY. The report submitted to the Levels I County Council by their surveyor, Mr T. Bjack, yesterday, was chiefly occupied with an account of the damage done by the heavy flood of last month. The gangs had been split up to cope witn urgent repair work, and details of their employment to date were given. i The late flood, said the report, was one of r the biggest floods smce the record one of. 1868, and caused a considerable amount of damage to roads, culverts, bridges, and protective, works. "Very lew of the bridgts and culverts couid property take .the increased current of. water, and he considered that the County had come off fairly well in tlie way.of damage. In fact," seeing that the water in many cases completely covered the small masiinry bridges, it seemed miraculous that there was. net more damage. - However, owing to the strain put' upon them they will all require careful overhauling; in many cases' the foundations would need to be strengthened and extended, and the> inside'of the- arches re-pointed. The it ads; with the exception of small scours and the washing out of fords and crossings, escaped very well, and the surveyor thought that the Council's own gangs could put them in order in about two months' time. Ail river fords have' been reconstructed roughly, but will r'quire to be picked and cleaned of heavy b;.uldeis as soon - as possible. A wash-out in Rathmore Street, off Wai-iti Road, had been: repaired at a cost of £24 lis. While this road was barricaded some person was contemptible enough to steal the night lamp from, the barricade. The greatest amount of slips took place on Cleiland's Ziz-zag, -Three Mile I lush Road,"new Taiko and Barrett's, and Rosewell settlement roads. These have been cleaned and surfaced. The greatest scours were in Main Mackenzie Road, betwen Sutherlands and Point, caused by extra water in Sutherland's Creek being allowed to traverse the whole road. If possible this creek should be diverted into the Tengawai River along Chlsh.dm's Road, the cost of buying the necessary land and constructing the canal should be borne in equal portions by the County Council, the farmers affected and the Pleasant- :Point Town Board. Damage to bridges. The southern approach to the Opihi Bridge- at Pleasant Point wa3 damaged, and repairs had been effected at a cost of £Bl. Work to the amount of about £SO was required at the upper end of the southern protective fenoe, and the extension of the north side fence should be looked into. At the Lower Pareora traffic fridge the river washed, away about 2% chains of the. protective fence. Had the river not broken through the fence, he was cf opinion that from five to seven spans of the ,old bridge would have been wrecked. The water was up to' the caps of the bridge, and in view of the obstruction caused by the design of the bridge and cf the way the piles were driven, it was surprising that the damage was of such small extent. Some of the piles were driven a very short length into the ground. The estimated cost of repairs to the bridge waa £145. Washdyke Main Road bridge.—Tlie damage here consisted, in the wreckage of the two- centre spans. About 8 feet •of the centre pier was wrecked, and an average width of .5 feet "of the. two centre arches. A similar accident to one of the spans occurred about, 30 years ago. To 'reinstate the bridge would not be a Very costly matter, but the foundations being no great depth, would require to be carefully under-pinned with concrete, and the scour holes beneath the arches filled with boulders and grouted with concrete. An exanunation of the surroundings showed that the creek had not a fair course to the -bridge, but was pressed against the northern end, by- high ground just above ; the southern arches. He proposed that land be purchased or leased from Mr Palmer for the purpose of making a straight channel for the creek in flood. Arrangements could also be made with advantage to purchase from Mr Palmer a strip of land to widen the roadway to include a good ford crossing for heavy traffic. A plan was submitted explanatory of these proposals, and estimates of cost of work to be- done in each case. The northern abutment of T'ozer's bridge on the. Levels Valley Board was undermined, causing the bridge to sink down. The >bridge has been jacked up and made fit.for ordinary traffic, but, to make it fit for heavy traffic new abutments ari3 wingwalls are required. (An estimate of cost was given.) Hunt's Cross road, Bosewill settlement. —The culvert of two 18-inch pipes undera 15ft. embankment was utterly incapable of coping with the flood waters. The pipes were all smashed, and about 400 cubic yards washed out of the bank." A 5-arch masonry culvert would require to be put in, and this with earthwork and shingle, would cost about £IOO. The following was given as an approximate estimate of ■ the cost of repairing damage done to roads and bridges, etc., throughout the county:—Fords and crossings, £100; stock bridges, £4O; Robertson's bridge, Cave, £3O; Hart's road, £108; Tozer's and Level Valley bridges, £SO; Rathmore Street, £24; Opihi bridge Pleasant Point (£100,; halved with Geraldine CO. £SO; protective ' works, Arowhenua £l5O. do.), £75; Lower Pareora bridge (£l7O, halved with Waimate C.C.), £BS; hired labour. £3O; two months work of staff, £350; total £1122. In conclusion Mr Black recorded the

loyal service accorded by his staff during the extra work made necessary, by the flood,, and also his thanks to Mr Whitehead for assistance given him through the office. The Council decided to call for tenders for the work required at Pareora bridge and protective works; to proceed with the repairs to the Washdyke bridge, and get information re creek;. Hart's road to. be left over until the Department of Public Works is' heard from; Tozer's bridge to be held;? over as it has been made good for light traffic. It was agreed that the Washdyke bridge need not be widened. The water-race ranger reported that the heavy flood had changed the course of the river and left the head works dry, but no damage had been done to any of the permanent works. Some little work would be required to get the water back to the head of the race. He had been getting a supply from one of the creeks close by. To cut a channel and put everything right, would cost from £6 to £B. The races throughout the district suffered very little and were all running again. He had visited the headworks of-the Opihi Flat water-races and found (everything all right.