FLOOD FREQUENCY

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 23970, 10 June 1943, Page 3

FLOOD FREQUENCY

DIFFICULTIES OF RIVER TRUST Flood frequency during the year has been abnormal. In fact it would be impossible to find in the records of the trust any other yeJfr that would show such a series of floods as have been experienced during the last year, said Mr C. T. Aschman at the annual meeting of the Waimakariri River Trust yesterday. The river was in flood to the extent of 2 feet and more on 54 days. If to this time is added that on which it was impossible to work in the bed of the river after the floods subsided, it would be no exaggeration to say that repair work and new construction work in the bed had been impossible for nearly 70 days during the year. Quite unexpected for that time of the year, there were floods on 10 days of July, 1942, and though August and September were fairly free, October, November, and December had floods extending over 21 days. February also was a bad month, but it is satisfactory to note that low flow of the river during the months of March, April, and May of the present year had enabled repair work to be carried out almost without interruption. “It is satisfactory to be able to report,” Mr Aschman continued, “that comparatively recent construction work proved its value during the heavy flood in October. Proof of this is found in such examples as the excellent response to the test of the Cutting dam and roadway, and of the new bank at Stewarts Gully where there was no repetition of the damage sustained during the 1940 flood. The new embankments at Kaiapoi, at Doubledays, and the recent raised embankment below Gregg’s drain afforded effective protection from flooding.” It was reported that an inspection of the work had been arranged by the commissioners of the trust for June 14 and 21.