THE SOUTH CANTERBURY FLOODS.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20492, 10 March 1932, Page 13

THE SOUTH CANTERBURY FLOODS.

ENGINEER EXPLAINS CAUSES*

The causes of .the flooding of roadf and paddocks in the Geraldine • County during heavy rains in February wer® reviewed by the engineer to tfco County (Mr O. B. Br'emner) in a ,report to the County Council. "The cause of the trouble," stated th« report, "both in railway and-road communication, is of long; standing, and iB due to the enormous accumulation or detritus washed down and piling up on the piers of the bridges,, creating scours in the beds themselves, and deflecting the. current against the awrements and approaches and undermining the protective works. The conditions have been growing worse tor many years, and in some/instances tne embanked and bridged roads have been completely blocked, and the flood waters spilled into fresh courses. The railway washouts were wholly tne rosuit of the state of the "verheda for miles upstream from the coast. lneE® disasters are of periodical recurrence, and must continue eo long as measures are neglected to remove, the ever-in-creasing obstructions in the beds. Clean Courses Essential. "Clean courses are essential -so that the bulk of the flooding can bo contained in defined channels, when eacn flood may be expected to improve them by increasing their sections and reducing the danger; of diversion. Much has been done lately in this direction in this county, but there is still more requiring attention when funds are> available for the purpose, so as to give the channels sufficient carrying capacity to deal with flood waters, The floods, of 1929 disclosed most of the weaknesses of tho Geraldine County's larger bridges, and these have since been conditioned, and nothing'in the nature of bridge trouble was experienced at any of the bridged, crossings to embarrass traffic while the rivers were up. Fords and open crossings were washed out, which was inevitable* but were soon restored as the waters subsided.