WILLOW REVETMENT.

Thames Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 20080, 7 August 1937, Page 2

WILLOW REVETMENT.

BANKS OF KAUAERANGA. HALTING LAND EROSION. AN OUTLINE OF SCHEME. The scheme to halt the erosion of land on the banks of the Kauaeranga River, at the foot of Heale Street, as decided upon by the Borough Advisory Committee at its meeting on Thursday, was explained by the engineer, Mr. B. A. Mahoney, in his report. The method of willow planting lately carried out at the. end of Bowen Street was, in the engineer's opinion, futile. The trees had been planted too near the edge, being only 3ft. approximately, from the edge. This was insufficient distance to allow for proper rooting and growth. The willow revetment as advised by the Public Works Department was well worthy of consideration.

This method consisted of planting willows in the face of the bank and not on the top, as had been done. The willows were laid parallel with the slope of the bank, at the same time being partly embedded in the face of the bank. They would necessarily need to be held in position until growth commenced and they became firmly held in the bank, hy means of staking and tying them into the bank face. As the willows advanced in growth they would form a mattress, which should afford protection against scour. Some objection might be raised on the score of the salt content of the water at the point of the river, but an inspection of old willows a little, further upstream revealed no noticeable ill-effects from such water. In any case, the ease and cheapness of such a method would at least warrant a trial, even if only from an experimental point of view.