Flood Menace At Moutoa

Chronicle (Levin), 20 June 1949, Page 3

Flood Menace At Moutoa

A warning tnat ihe breaches in the diagonal floodgatqs on the Gov-ernment-owned land on the ban'ks of- the Manawatu River at Moutoa were making serious floods possible on the properties of tweive neighbouring farhiers was given by Mr. J. Crysfcall, chairman of the Mana-watu-Oroua River Board, on Thursday. These farmers were ratepayers, paid taxes and contributed to local body rates; he said. They were entitled to protection; It was deeided to make further negotiations with the Department of Agriculture regarding the breaches. At Thursday's meeting of the River Board, Mr. H. R. Farciuhar, engineer, reported that an inspection of the breaches had been made on June 19. The flood waieis on the previous day had had favourable eonditions for discharge into the sea. Tides had been of a medium height and the wind had been easterly. At the upstream gap the highest water level »was three inches below the ground level. No water had come in, but at one low snot it had run three feet wide and three feet back from the eroding edge. This gap was eight chains long in the eroding f ace of -the bend and had the water level been one foot higher than it was at the lower and middle gaps, the centrifugal force of water passirig round the bend would have discharged a greater quantity through the gap. The middle _gap had increased in size from. three and"a half chains sinee the last inspection in August, 1948. Evidence showed that flood water 10 feet. wide and six feet deep had flowed into the Moutoa area. The dowiti :stream gap had increased from five to five and a half chains in length and the stopbank had been completely removed. Water had over-topped- the ground level to a depth of two feet. Mr. Farquhar said that compariison with similar floods showed that with a strong westerly wind, the flood level at these breaches would have been at least one foot higher. Koputaroa Stream Subsidy. / The eontention that repairs to the floodgate on the left bank of the Koputaroa Stream. constituted a flood control operation deserving of higher subsidy rather than a minor drainage work, as was claimed by the Manawatu Catchment Board, was made by Mr. R. J. Law when the board was advised that a subsidy of only £1 for £1 would be granted for repair work beeause the job had been graded into a minor works classifieation. - The board deeided to approach the catchment board with a view to having the subsidy increased. The Public Works Department advised that a subsidy of £85 had been ; atithorisefl on the total cost of £170''' for the repair job.