DIVERSION OF RIVER

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 131, 18 July 1941, Page 5

DIVERSION OF RIVER

WORK AT MOUTH OF RANGITAIKI BETTER DRAINAGE SOUGHT FOR PLAINS This week the Lands and Survey Department commenced work once more with the object of diverting the lower waiters of the Rangitaiki River and cutting through, the sandspit at the river mouthy thereby giving the river a straight run out to sea. At present the river turns at right angles and wanders down the coast towards Whakatane for a mile before it has the courage to face the continuous rollers of the Bay of Plenty. The sandspit blocking the river mouth has been growing larger and larger daily. Straightened' Before. About two years ago the river was given a straight run to sea by cutting through the sandspit, but it soon became tired, of the straight and narrow path and resumed it wanderings towards' the bright lights» of Whakatane of pre blackout days. At that time the estuary extended for about two miles along the coast. After a dredge had cut a channel through the spit almost to the beach, the nearby settlersi completed tli« job with shovels, manpower beinfj required, for the finishing touch. Trouble to Drainage. Like a wayward child, the Rangitaiki River has been something of a nuisance to the engineers responsible for the drainage of the Rangitaiki Plains. Before 1914 it wandered cut to sea at Matata, where it joined forces with the Taraewra to provide a fairly good port for small ships. Now Matata port is left high and dry with only a lagoon to show newcomers'. » Thornton Becomes a Port. In 191.4 the Lands Drainage De-« oartment fashioned the Thornton outlet with a dredge cut one and a half miles long to send the Rangitaiki waters straight out to sea through the sand hills. Thus Thornton became a port for scows, and wag provided by tl|e Whakatane Harbour Board with a wharf and wharf shed. Silts Up. As the years went by the entrance silted up and the river started onco in or,© to wander along the coast. Thus ended the career of Thornton as a port, and nowadays there is not enough water on the bar to permit even launches to enter the river. Bearing oil Drainage. As can readily be realised, the condition of the river mouth has a bearing of ,land drainage on the Plains It has been observed that the water level in canals and drains is loAver when the river goesi straight cut to sea, and that the water backs up in the drains when the river forms a

long estuary at the beach. Production Should Benefit. The work undertaken this wintci is timely in that the opening of the, mouth of the river can best be carried out in the winter months, when there nre regular land winds and a likelihood of a fresh in the river following early spring rains in the back country. With its accomplishment the tasK undertaken by the Department should result in surface water getting away more readily in the spring from the low country of the Plains, thus assisting greater production from that already highly productive area. The dredge which was occupied in clearing the Orini Creek h,as been transferred to the estuary to be used to form the new river coursc.