Flood Threat Alarms Moutoa Settlers

Chronicle (Levin), 1 September 1949, Page 3

Flood Threat Alarms Moutoa Settlers

PROTEST AT LOWERING OF SPILLWAYS i / That settlers are alarmed at the position which has arisen in the Moutoa as a result of the recent flood in the Manawatu River, and are apprehensive as to the future activities of the Manawatu Catchment Board, was evidenced at a well-attended meeting held in the Foxton Totyft Hall supper-rootn on Friday evening. ' The meeting passed a resolution of protest against the lowering of the banks and decided to ask for a definition of the powers of the catchment board's engineer. There was axi attendance of.22 settlers ahd Mi\ J. Ghrystall was voted tb the' chair. ' , ■■

,':ln opening the meeting, Mr. "Ghrystau said that the reason ;f Ot calling the settlers together ■ 'arose from . the heavy flOoding ^vliich occurre'd on August 9. . On Tuesday at 6 p.m. Mr. Farquhar, bnginee'r to the Manawatu-Oroua /River Board, had communieated : with the speaker (chairman of the bOard) and advised him that the river was 26ft. 5ins. above iiormal at the Shannon Bridge 'and that there was very grave danger that the banks wouid breach in1 the Moutoa. In fact, tlie flood waters were then run'fiing over the banks in several piaces and Mr. Evans, engineer to the Manawatu Catchment Board, had propose'd blowing up the late Dr. Walls' spillway bank. Mr. Farquhar had suggested, howe.yer, that it would be better to lower Bryants' spillway by one foot ,and to this the speaker ' had agreed, provided the property i manager gave his consent. This ■ was obtained and the bank was lowered. The river had immediately f allen . five ' inches in the yicinity and the settlers were exceedingly fortunate to get through siich. a flood without the banks • bre'aching. Emphatic Protest. At the last meeting of the Manawatu-Oroua River Board, continued the speaker, the matter of the lowering of the bank had been raised and the board, after consideration of all the Gircumstances, had imanimously carried. the following resolution for forwarding to the Manawatu Catchment Board: — "During the recent flood a proposal was made to blow up the late Dr. Wall's spiflway bank at Moutoa, presumably under the authority of the catchment board. We wish to enter an emphatic protest against this intention. If the work had been carried out the seven years' consdlidation of this bank would have been destroyed, a large gap would have been made down to or below ground level,. and every small flood of 8ft. 6ins. or even the level would discharge into the. Moutoa sub-division. Jhe strictly limited protection allowed to the Moutoa ratepayers wourd thus be completely wiped out. During the past 25 years these ratepayers haVe suffered severe injustice to give Makerua complete immunity from flooding . from the Manawatu RiVer overtopping its banks. We submit that in view of this record there is not the slightest necessity to lower this bank, but rather to raise the stopbanks along the Tdkomaru Stream. We wish to have a written assurance from: your board that protective works constructed throughout the distriot by agreement between the parties concerned, will be mainthihed in •' their ' present state, otherwise the situation wifl hecpme intolerable to a number of ratepayers." This resolution had hiet with the unanimous ehdorse•riient of the meeting, he added. Not Lone-handed. ; .-"iPersonally," "continued Mr. dh'rystall, "I would like to know what is behind this move to lower the spillway. At our meeting the district representatives. were not lone handed in their protest. Four months ago the river board agreed to spend £1000 a year to improve the channel and raise the banks of the Tokomaru Stream, a total cost of £20,000 spread over four . Or flve years being involved, and 5 it is now waiting on Government subsidy. Mr. Chrystall concluded his refiiarks by moving the following resolution to be forwarded to the ' catchment board: "That this meeting of Moutoa ratepayers desires to makb an emphatic protest against the propokal to increase the discharge of floodwater over our spillways to a depth of two feet for the following reasons: (1) The Spillways cafmot stand the additional weight of water and will eollapse, thus making our subdivision a huge ponding area for all floods; under these conditions there would be a serious decrease in production and it would become impossible to successfully farm the land. (2) All

the benefits accriiing from the. Whirokino Cut will be lost, and the position will be worse than it Was before the cut was excavated. (3)' This proposal, if carried out, is .a; distinct breach of an agreement between all parties concerned' as'' to- the master grade height of stopbanks, the agreed number of spillways, their height' and length, and we submit' that your board does not possess the legal power to brehk, this contract. (4) Finally, we wish to have an assurance that lintil a major scheme of flood control iscommenced the present very limited protective ' works be maintained, as we are not prepared to aceept any compromises on the origirial agreement." Mr. Chrystall then dealt , at length with the various items in the resolution and went on to state that because the spillways woilld not function as the engineer desired them to he wanted to interfere with them. There were five snillways in the Moutoa, each 27 chains long, a total distance of one and three-quarter miles, and he wanted to lower them to take two feet of water. If that is permltted 10,000 acres in the Moutoa could be covered to a depth Of 9ft. 2ins. If the spillways did not breach, and if thev did, it would be disaster. Mr. S. W. Barber (catchment board representative) said that the matter of raising the banks of the Tokomaru Stream had been bccupying the minds of all concerned for a number of years. Personally, he had not known anything about the proposal to blow uo the spillway until 24 hours after the incident. It had not been done, hoWever. when ohjection was raised. He felt that the lowering of Bryant's spillway was ' justified in the_ circumstances and said he believed the Moutoa banks would have broken had the work not been undertaken. Big Risk Of Breaches. In the Moutoa todav there was a big ri'sk of banks breac'hing and during the last flood many settlers had had to fight very hard to save their banks, proceeded Mr. Barber. There were daneer spots at the Maori pa and behind the school section. while Carter's and Bangs' oaddocks were below grade. These banks would have gone had the soiPway not been lowered. As far as thp catchment board was coflcerned. be understood that a reonrt on the banks was to be submitted bv fmiv engineers. He understood tbat the move to have the srtiilwpvs lowered bad come from Makerua. After 25 vears of immunitv from floods. ^he last flood had seen water runnmg over Makerua banks in two nlaces, but hft v.eiipved tbat that bed been done due to lack of organisatlon. „ - Manv other spenkers exoressed ■fhpjr ooim'on on the matter and after considereWe discussion .tlie motion was out and carried unenimouslv. Messrs. Eastnn and A. rtmif,h suonorted tb° retention of ^Tanawatu-O^oua River Board on the ground that the board was the only nrotecHou the settlers had. Commwsioti Suunorte^. i^^r. J. J. McFriean tabled the following resolution, which was carried unanimousiv: "That this meeting of Moutoa settlers supoorts the Roval Commission in so far as its reenmmen da^inns relste to the retpn+ion of river boards" Mr. E aston auestioned the authoritv of the catchment. board fenwneer to interfere with CxiSting river works and the following motion was also carried unanimouslv: "Tbat thp catchment board be pskpd to define the powers of its engineer in so far as interference with flood hahks and spillways is Concerned." , Messrs. Chrystall and MOEriean then put the following motiofl; "Th#»t failing a satisfactofy renly to the meeting's resolution. an apneai be made to' tb« .Minister oi Public Works for rehef " This was also carried unanimously. The meeting concluded on a note of determination that Moutoa set- • tlers .intended to secure .protection at ali costs.