POROPORO FLOODING

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 9, Issue 64, 17 April 1946, Page 4

POROPORO FLOODING

Sir,—ln your report of the Whakatane County Council meeting Cr Butler is reported as saying our floods come from the Whakatane River not from the Waioho. Seeing that the Lands Department deepened and widened the Waioho Stream to take our flood water away somebody must be wrong if that is the cause of our floods. In view of the fact that part of my letter to the County Council has been made public would you kindly publish the whole letter and it will make my argument clear. This is my letter:— Dear Mr Chairman.

Last July I spoke to the County Council about the drainage but so far I have no answer. For 21 years I have occupied my present farm of 65 acres. During that time I have paid in County rates £534 and Drainage rates £620. In all I have paid £1154 and in spite of that I am worse off from the point of view of flooding. • . • Does the Council think it. fair to accept and spend my money to injure me? Ido not object to your spending the money to help other people. But if helping other people is going to ruin me I can’t see why I should have to pay for that. Flooding has always been bad around here and I have had difficulties. Now however because you have raised Station Road higher than it was before, you are making my position worse and I must have more water. As a result my hay that I have so far kept dry, will in flood, time be in water. I ask you .to ask Mr Semple to build a spillway below the Whakatane Bridge to cut off the balloon bend about 18 inches above high tide level. That will give us relief in flood time and prevent the tide banking the flood water up on us, **

Vnnrc pfp ,t JOE LANGENBERGER.