PIAKO RIVER IN FLOOD.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVI, Issue 4850, 8 July 1925, Page 2

PIAKO RIVER IN FLOOD.

e— VERY LITTLE DAMAGE. STOP-BANKS HOLDING Flood-water in the ponding areal or the Piako River reached its highest point on Monday night, and since then has fallen slowly. At the Patetonga wharf it was two or three''inches lower than last year’s flood, but the wharf and portion of the tramline road was submerged. Ngarua and Mangawhero wharves were likewise under water, and the course of the river could only be picked out by the willows, blackberries, and rushes. With the rapid rjpe of the water during the week-end much work was necessary to keep it from overflowing the temporary stop-bank erected last Thursday from Ngarua to the end of the dredge-built, road and stop-bank about 20 chains down the river. Men wore - working the. whole of Sunday and Sunday night, and at one time the water was within three inches of the top. Had it commenced to overflow at any point the bank would have been quickly swept away, and then all the land down to Ngatea would have been inundated as during the previous flood. From the dredge. up to Ngarua the old road and stop-bank were under water to a depth ranging up to eighteen inches, and this bank is several feet higher than the enclosed farm land.

Since last flood the river at Kerepcchi, and also the Pubanga canal, hats been widened and improved. It. is difficult to state what would have been the result, had this not been done, but it is obvious that the flooding, of farm lands would have been much more difficult to prevent. As it was, the only grassed land inundated, was native land below Kerepeehi, the stop-banking of which is not yet finished. The eastern end of the island block between"Kerepeehi and the Puhanga canal was under water, but it was only surface water from the higher land on the western side which could not get away owing to the height of the liver and the absence of tidal action. To-morrow’s tides will be spring tides, and in the lower reaches the Piako River will then probably reach its highest, but there is little danger of any of the Lands Drainage Department’s banks being topped, as they have, since last winter, been attended to and workmen are patrolling the banks and raising them where necessary. In contrast is the inactivity of. the Horahia Drainage Board. The stopbank in its area was topped at several places yesterday evening, and one serious breach is reported. For a few moments water flowed over the Lands Department’s bank between the bridge and wharf at Ngatea at high tide yesterday, but no damage was done as the drains were only partly filled before the flow ceased. Workmen to-day are attending to this stop-bank preparing for to-night’s and to-morrow’s tides. Last evening, at the top of the tide, the level of the river at Ngatea reached to within a fracitbn of an inch of last year’s flood level. The Lands Drainage Department and the Survey Department have adopted for survey purposes the Government datum line, which is 97ft below the average level of the land on tlie Hauraki Plains. At various wharves along the river have been placed staffs showing the height above .this datum line. The staff at the Ngatea wharf showed that the height of the flood.at its highest on Wednesday last was 98.4 ft, Thursday 98.4 ft, Friday 97.7 ft, Saturday 98.6 ft, Sunday 99.3 ft, Monday 99.4'ft, Tuesday 99.7 ft. To-day’s and to-inbrrow’s tides are anticipated to raise the river well above 99.8 ft—last year’s flood level.

Apart from the river there is no sign of flooding in the lower parts of tlie Plains. The drains h.ave now emptied to’ normal, surface water is fast disappearing, -and the country is becoming dry.