ALLANDALE FLOODING

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 8, Issue 57, 16 March 1945, Page 5

ALLANDALE FLOODING

"WIDESPREAD PETITION SIGNED

PREVENTIVE ACTION TO BE TAKEN

t ' Two petitions signed by sixtyheight residents of Valley Road, Salonika and Douglas Anzac Avenue and Goulstone - Road who had Suffered a second flood within twelve months when the Wainui-te-Whara stream overflowed its banks received a sympathetic hearing from the i Borough Council last Monday night. The petitioners prayed that immediate steps should' be ■: * taken to deepen the existing drain and so prevent the recurrance of the flood nuisance which had caused so much inconvenience and damage.

The Mayor discussing the matter he had every sympathy with the residents who had suffered through the flooding } and the Works •Committee had gone thoroughly into the question of doing something at once to relieve the position. It was not practicable to utilise the County •scoop, as it would not give the lifting clearance necessary. The Fore-' man was now making enquiries from the Lands Department in order to -see if a more suitable one was available. It was obvious that the only satisfactory way of dealing with the present trouble Avas to deepen the -drain running through Allandale from its- junction with the Whakatane River.

Cr Sullivan from his own observations said that it was obvious that the whole bed had lifted some three feet a and in spite, of the cost the Council would just have to go on with the work or invite further trouble. The bridge at the gorge entrance Avas far too but • even there the bed had risen considerably. The petitioners had a firstclass case, and even if the Borough were to spend £500 or £600 on this work it should be given precedence > over other less pressing matters. A thorough dredging from the mouth to the gorge would avert further vtrouble for 10 or 15 years. The Mayor observed that the estK -mated cost was £600 for the dredging alone. "I personally inspected the properties which were under water," said Cr Shapley, "and my welcome was not too warm." "I thought it was very warm," rejoined the Mayor. Cr Shapley continued that the petitioners were quite justified in their as they had been, put to great inconvenience and the Coun- * -cil should do all it possibly could to meet them. Cr Warren said the money spent on the work of deepening would be cheap in the long run. His contention was that with the clearing of the land on the water was moving faster and would continue to do so in j r ears to come. t The Mayor mentioned the fact that it Avas the intention of the Foreman to build stopbanks in the process -of deepening the drain. Cr Warren: From what I saw it looks as though someone had removed portion of the original stopbanlc j -with a spade.

Gr Morpeth said that he too had seen the damage, and had inspected the flooding during its worst period. * He felt extremely sorry for those people whose properties were invaded particularly a day or two afterwards when the stagnant water lay ** about. He hoped' to sec the work started in the immediate future even if it were only possible to do it with wheelbarrows and shovels. On the motion of the Mayor it was decided to reply to the petitioners -advising that the Council intended . widening and deepening the drain 4 and was at present engaged in negotiating for the use of suitable machinery to do the job. The work would be commenced at the earliest pos- ~ sible moment. Recommendations from the Works Committee, in the above connection which were later adopted by the' Council, were as under: — (a) "Resolved that the ForemanEngineer be given authority to interview officials of the Land Drainage Department and ascertain if a drainage machine would be available and the cost." (b) "Resolved that the Foreman* l teJ£ngineer investigate the possibility -of immediate if only temporary rem-, edy for the flooding of Allandale and tha'die be authorised to do any necessary work."