RIVER-SWEEPING.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19165, 23 November 1927, Page 5

RIVER-SWEEPING.

SPRINGS COUNTY PROJECT. As the outcome of representations made to the Springs County Council recently by a deputation from the River Drainage Committee, an inspection of the river by Mr R. T. Stewart, designer of the mud sweeper now engaged in clearing the Avon river, was made on Monday. Besides members and officials of the County Council and of the Drainage Committee, there were also present Messrs P. R. Climie, or ganiser of the Canterbury Progress League, and W. Stewart, Commissioner of Crown Lands for Canterbury After the inspection, Mr K. 1. Stewart said he could foresee no difficulty in lowering the water level by several feet, which would mean' that the producing capacity of a large area of land would be enormously increased. He recommended that a mud sweeper, similar to the one in use on the River Avon should be employed to deepen the bed of the river, and straighten its banks m places, but declared that the fullest benefit from any work undertaken in the river would not be apparent until Lake Ellesmere was provided with » permanent outlet, which would keep the lake waters at the lowest possible level all the year round. A permanent outlet could be maintained, and the cost of the necessary plant would not be much, if any, more than half that spent upon the lake culvert, which had long; ceased to function. On behalf of the Drainage Committee, Mr B. J. Harris said it was imperative that the work should be done, and those interested should devise some means of financing the scheme. The Drainage Committee was prepared to give any assistance in its power to the County' Council in arranging for the work to be done.

Mr A. Thompson, chairman of the County Council, said that if the scheme recommended by Mr R T. Stewart was to be cairied out, it would be necessary to raise a substantial sum of money, possibly by defining a special drainage area and raising a loan Asked what it would cost to provide r.nd install the plant at the lake outlet Mr R T. Stewart said that the cost would be about £6OOO. As to the cost of operating a sweeper in the River L. 't would be approximately £2O a week. The machine could cover about a mile a month.