POROPORO DRAINAGE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 9, Issue 67, 29 April 1946, Page 5

POROPORO DRAINAGE

STATION ROAD FLOODING COUNTY COUNCIL’S ATTITUDE A further letter from Mr J. Langenberger and others, anent the flooding of their properties at Poroporo, allegedly through the Council’s action in raising the level of Station Road, was received by the County Council at its meeting last Wednesday. Discussing the matter the chairman, Mr J. L. Burnett, said that in view of Mr Langenberger’s letter to the press recently he would ask that the Council’s latest reply be also published in order to offset any possibility of any mistaken inferences on the part of ratepayers.

The letter’ which was despatched on March 28 reads as under:— “Your letter of the 20th March was placed before the Council at its meeting held on Tuesday. The spillway proposal you mention through the balloon bend was some years ago submitted to the Public Works Department for approval. The Public Works Department has however, not favourably considered such a proposal and it is known that the Department’s opinion k>n this proposal has not altered. The Council trusts that you will appreciate that it is obliged to maintain Station Road and it trusts that you will also understand that it would not wilfully undertake any works, which, having regard to all the circumstances, would be detrimental to any properties, including your own. The Council knows that two recent floods very seriously affected your lands, and the lands of Mr Boon and others, but the Council submits that if the Whakatane River had not broken its banks at Rewatu, this flooding would not have been nearly so serious. The Hon. Minister of Public Works will be in this distrigt probably in May and if you would care to attend when Mr Semple is in the district, you could represent to him direct, the flooding matters which are the subject of your letter herein under reply, and which matters are causing you and the Council great concern.”