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WHAKATANE RIVER

. ' ITS COURSE AND WATERSHED EROSION PROBLEM DISCUSSED Under the sub-heading" of General Description, the Whakatane River was the subject of part of the report on the Whakatane Harbour made by Messrs Blair Mason, Lee and Brown in 1924, and which makes in teres L'ng reading. The Whakatane River has its sources in the high country lying westwards of Lake Wailcaremoana and has a length of about 68 miles, states the report.. From the foot-> hills to the sea its course is fairly sinuous. The watershed is approximately 45 miles long by an extreme width of 19 miles and possesses a drainage area of about 646 square miles. With its principal tributary the Waimana, it drains the precipitous Urewera Country so that the run off is rapid and the normal- river flow small in proportion to the area of the watershed. The tidal compartment, calculated to the concrete bridge, e |nprises 506 acres. at extreme high wafer spring tide and 297 acres at low water. River Erosion. The banks of rivers flowing through alluvial country are subject to erosion, especially during" floods and freshets, unless protected by na'ural or artificial means. In the case of the Whakatane the alluvial lands' are very easily eroded and it is evident that the course of the rive4| has altered from time to time in the/ past and that where the banks are exposed to the current, undesirable changes are taking place by the scouring effect of floods and freshets. In pre-settlcment days the banks'Avere protected by native vege tation, fallen timber and logs lay along the banks, all assisting in screening and protecting them. Now, hoAvever, the banks, especially between the foothills and the sea, are largely destitute of this natural protection and as indicated, undesirable changes are taking place from erision, particularly at the bends. Loss of Tidal Capacity. The eroded material partly goes to make up the river on the convex, side at the bends and part is carried down by the stream and deposited in the Avider reaches forming the estuary, AA'hich thereby suffers loss in depth as Avell as loss of tidal capacity. The question of prevention of riA r er erosioyi is Avithout doubt a most important one, not only to the Harbour Board, as the silt is degrading the estuary, but to adjacent land-oAvners ay hose properties are menaced. The fixing of the course of the river and the prevention of erosion -will become more and more necessary as settlement lands bordering "the river increases. Thclonger indiscriminate interference Avith the natural conditions of the banks is alloAA'ed, such as the destruction of trees and bordering scrub and the trespassing of cattle, the more difficult and costly Avill be the nature of prcA'entativc Avorks Fresh Water Discharge, Discussing fresh water, discharge in to the harbour, the report continues- This is noAV confined to tb,at of-the Whakatane "River,. It is certain that in years gone by the Orini River carried the drainage of the Rangitaiki Avatershed to the outlet at Whakatane. As the Rangitaiki watershed comprises about 1100 square miles as cmpared Avith the Wliakatane's 646 square miles, and as a large portion of the former con sists of absorbent pumacious counthe minmum fIoAV per square mile largely exceeds that of thi Whakatane AA r atcrshcd, Avhere tin country is steep and consequently has a rapid run off. The difference between the Whakatane and Rangitaiki RiA r ers is also shown in a report made by Mr Metcall' in September, 1915. "Formerly, in addition to the Whakatane, Avith its tributary tlicl Waimana, the Rangitaiki discharged a considerable amount of its Avater into the Whakatane estuar\ by its Orini branch, the summei flaw of Avliich was probably nearly as great as that of the Whakatanq'' said Mr Metcall'. "About 12 year: ago (1903) the Orini Avas blocked off Avliere it diA r erged from the Rangitaiki in order to afford bettci drainage to the SAvamp lands through Avhich it flowed, Avith the resul! that the estuary lost a great pari of its upland Avater during the sum mer months, tin Rangi.'aiki being*-] much la'-ger anl iro e constant stream than any of the ethers."

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/BPB19400729.2.46

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 192, 29 July 1940, Page 8

Word count
Tapeke kupu
695

WHAKATANE RIVER Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 192, 29 July 1940, Page 8

WHAKATANE RIVER Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 192, 29 July 1940, Page 8

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