Much Work Done

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 79, 20 April 1937, Page 9

Much Work Done

DRAINS PREPARED 300 Acres Now in Permanent Pasture HARBOUR BOARD REPORT

Marked progress has heen made during the past year -with the reclamation and development of the Ahuriri Lagoon, an area of 7500 acres which prior to the 1931 earthquake was the scene of activity of Napier 's yachting fleet. The dewatering of this tract, which was taken over hy the Small Parms Board from the Napier Harbour Board in 1934 with a view to ultimate subdivision and close settlenxent, has now heen completed, and already an area of a little under 300 acred which had reached a sufficiently advanced Stage of development has heen placed xmder permanent pasture. In making this referencb to tlie Ahuriri Lagoon in his annual report, adopted at yesterday's meeting of the Harbour Board, the chairman, Mr. Trevor M, Geddis, added that the installation of an elaborate pumping plant at the latter end of last year accelerated the dewatering of the lagoon to such a degree that that vast area was now virtually free of surface water. The exeavation of drainage to the south of a line from the Westshore bridge to the Poraite side of the lagoon, to dry the sub-soil and to facilitate the leaehing of the surplus salt, was now in its final stages, the area concerned, bounded by the Taradale and Wharerangi roads, consisting oi! approximately 2000 acres.

Internal Drainage. "The dewatering of the land to the north of the line has enabled the Public Works Department to push aheud with the internal drainage work," he said. "A Bucyrus dragline excavator, with a three-quarter-yard bucket, is engaged in excavating the main drain to the pumping statioif, working froin the south end northwards, and already roughly a mile of the drain has been completed. Manual labour is also bexng employed in this connection, and, 30 men are working from the northern end. Smaller drains, too, are being laid by means of manual labour, between 50 and 00 men being thus engaged, while, as other portions of the development work are brought to a conclusion, further men will be drafted to swell their ranks. "According to the present expeetalions, the bulk of the drainage work should be completed in 12 months' time, when the major task of the Publi? Works Department in connection with the scheme will have been carried out. The principal factor governing the

• time of completion now depends largely on the amount of suitable labour available, the difficulties encountered previously through the presence of water on a large area of the lagoon having disappeared in the dewatering process. ' ' Mr. Geddis said that since the task of eultivation was commenced in April of last year an area of 1000 acres had been swamp-ploughed with the assistance of four tractor units, that being followed by further tillage in the shape of disc harrowing and a second ploughing. A start had been made with the sowing in permanent pastures of an area 5f 280 acres — ryegrass predominaung among the seeds employed — and a further section of some 230 acres would shortly be treated similarly. An area of 75 acres was being reserved for spring erops, and the balance of the 1000 acres was to be surface-sown in clover. Soil Analysis. The development of the remainder of the lagoon would depend on the results of soil analysis. Two samplings were taken. in. May and August of last year, as the result of which the present programm'e of cropping was drawn up, but the results of the third sainpling, taken in Pebruary of this year, were not yet to hand. , "A further indication of the progress which has been effected with the development of the Ahuriri Lagoon," eontinued Mr. Geddis, "was provided recently when the Public Works Department commenced the important phase of fencing the area. Approximately two miles of fencing has been erected to date, principally along the Taradale road boundary. It is anticipated that up to 100 miles of fencing will be involved in ring-fencing the lagoon and in the internal road fencing, but the amount of internal fencing will depend, of course, on the extent to which it is decided to carry subdivision. "During the year a further 90 chains of roading has been formed, bringing the total length at the present time to 396 chains. At the same time metalling has been carried out over a distance of 176 chains, giving a total length of roads metalled to date of 227 chains. "A notable stage in the work was reached last month with the completion of the in'ain outfall channel and contour drain, the final stages consisting of the euttiug of a pilot channel down the eontre of the main outfall and the completing of the stopbanlcs. In the course of this huge task stopbanks extending over a distance of no less than 11J miles have been constructed, 7^ miles . being accounted for by the contour drain and 3£ miles by the main outfall channel. T.he immensity of the work is indicated by the faet that 147,127 cubic yards of of material was required for the main outfall stopbanks and 258,129 cubic yards for those of the contour drain." The Floodgates. " The chairman said that the construction of the floodgate in the old Tutaekuri riverbed near tlie Westshore bridge was completed in December. That gate comprised six 5ft. by - 4ft. openings. The smaller floodgate on the northern 1 side of the maiu outfall channel, con- 1

sisting of a single opening 4ft in diameter, was completed in February. . The exeavation came to a conclusion last year of the main gravity drain which, leading from the old bed of the Tutaekuri rivor to the Parke Island road, intercepts the drainage from the district south of the lagoon, Mr. Geddis eontinued. From the main dewatering drain through the southern section of the block a total of 67,955 cubic yards - of material had been excavated, repvesenting a length of 292 chains of drain,, while 935 chains of subsidiary drains excavated to date for 91,493 cubic yards of spoil. A great de'al of attention had been given to the cutting of lateral drains, the sole function of which was the sweetening of the soil and the dispelling of its salt content, and a total length of 10,825 chains had now been completed. In addition, maintenance work had been carried out on 6358 chains of lateral drains and 569 chains had been filled in on the areas now being sowu in permanent pastures.