FLOOD ON THE PLAINS.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXV, Issue 4707, 4 June 1924, Page 3

FLOOD ON THE PLAINS.

CONDITIONS UNCHANGED. ngatea road damaged. Conditions at Ngatea throughout Monday and Tuesday remained practically unchanged. Due probably to the spring tides, the river is rising to new records, but a hopeful sign is that it now falls about, a foot at low tide. Over the land the height of the water shows little variation, despite the numerous gaps made in the stopbanks to let the water out when the river falls. These are closed by Lands Department workmen when the river rises. However, as a great deal of the stop-banking on both sides of the river above Ngatea has been washei away or is below- the river level, the water is pouring on to the land faster than it can get away. In Nuatea township 'the only dry land is the main road. Practically all the road to the factory is under water, as also arc many parts of the road to the canal. So far the water has not entered many of the houses, but many of the residents find that thev cannot get from their doorsteps to the crown of the road in ordinary «um Im'ts without netting wet feet. It -rill not be possible to reopen the school until the water falls considerThe Ngatea baker has about six inches of water in his bakeooitse. On the farm lands the depth varies from about a foot near the saleyards ‘.o several feet nearer the river. AH the •<tock have been removed, but grazing has been so difficult to secure that many herds are grazing on the roads. On the right side of the river the whole of the low land on both sides of the road is inundated. Considerable damage has been caused to the road for about a mile and a-quarter. practically all the blinding having been wshed off. At present Hie road is almost blocked with driftwood. All the Lands Drainage Department can do is being done to lower the level of the flood water. Mr 0. N. Campbell, the chief engineer, paid a vis't of inspection on Tuesday. Several logs which were stuck at the Ngatea bridge were removed, and a punt was towed up-stream so as to lessen the obstruction to the flow of water. Observations taken at the Ngatea and Puhanga wharves show that the water level averages about 18 .inches higher at the latter than at the former. This is due largely to the obstruction caused by the bridge. Yesterday the dredge which has been making the Puhanga canal-bank road dug two channels through the stoo-bank to let the water back into the river. The dredgehands are standing by to fill up the cuts when the river rises, and also to put apy man who requires to go along the >oad across the channels in the bucket of the dredge.