RIVER DIVERSION

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 148, 29 August 1941, Page 5

RIVER DIVERSION

WORK AT WAT MAN A COMPLETED ON WEDNESDAY To protect a bridge threatened 1 by erosion and to forestall any further damage to Kirkbride's road a canal has been cut to divert the Waimana river to a shorter course, ■- the final stages of this work being completed on Wednesday with indications that the operations will be very successful. "This work was very important and its completion emphasises the value of machinery," said the chairman of the County. Council, Mr J. L. Burnett, adding that if manpower had had to be depended on the task could not have been undertaken. A number of settlers of Waimana were present when the chairman, Mr C. 'H. Brebner (county engineer) and Councillor R. F. Wardlaw inspected the work and gave the signal for the. entrance to the canal to be blown. The river rapidly adopted its new course and with the willow protection work don° should maintain this to the advantage of all concerned. The wisdom of the County CourSil in equipping with modern machinery was-borne out when the canal was inspected. The length of the canal is about sixteen chains and one man operating a traction shovel accomplished the task in eleven days, in all approximated 3790 yards of spoil being moved. This made a channel which with the fast flow of water now passing through will quickly scour to the size required by tbe river". To prevent unnecessary scouring, however, many willows have been planted to consolidate the banks, while similar work has been done on the opposite bank with a view to further encouraging the change of course of the river and strengthening the land adjacent the bridge.