SETTLERS OBJECT TO MORE SPILLWAYS

Chronicle (Levin), 20 December 1946, Page 3

SETTLERS OBJECT TO MORE SPILLWAYS

MASTER GRADE STOP-BANKS WANTED The assistant engineer of the Manawatu Catchment Board (Mr. L. E. Dalyj, reporting to a meeting of the board held in Palmerston North on Tuesday. advised of a meeting of Moutoa settlers called to discuss the eonstruction of Barber's spillway. Mr. Daly stated that it was generally contended that tliere were enough spillways in the Moutoa area already, and the settlers desired that the Moutoa stopban-ks should be raised to a master grade without an additional spillway being constructed. It was claimed by them that the Makerua area was being protected from flooding while Moutoa was taking the water over the spillways. It had been pointed out to the settlers that whereas five of the spillways were located on a length of six and a-half miles of river, there was a distance of eight miles to the sixth spillway. It was explained that without the safeguard of a. spillway on this length, there was a very grave danger of breaching the stopbank during a major flood. It had been resolved that Barber's spillway be constructed at its existing bank level, but. the meeting reaffirmed its emphatic protest at any lowering of this level for the reason that should it discharge during floods, farming conditions would become exceedingly dangerous. Mr. Aitchison said he would recommend that the board appoint four engineers, Messrs. H. R. Farquhar (Manawatu-Oroua River Board), O. J. Dolan (Makerua Drainage Board)., A. R. Acheson (resident engineer P.W.D.) and ihe Catchment Board engineer, to investigate the whole position and report to the board. "Did not the whole of this question rest on the major work of lowering Wall's spillway?" asked Mr. I-Ieatley.

"For various reasons it may be some time before we see the achievement of the lowering of Wall's spillway," replied Mr. Aitchison. "In the meantime we need some measure to take up the slack in flood times." After a lengthy ' discussion, in which the old conflict between Makerua and Moutoa made itself apparent, it was decided on a major vote to agree to Mr. Aitchison's suggestion.