SPRING CREEK RIVERS BOARD.

Marlborough Daily Times, Volume I, Issue 85, 13 January 1880, Page 3

SPRING CREEK RIVERS BOARD.

The usual monthly meeting was held on Wednesday, the 7th of January, at 11 a.m. The members present were—Messrs George Dodson (Chairman), J. H. Redwood, and C. O’Dwyer. The Returning Officer announced that Messrs Isaac Gifford and Cornelius O’Dwyer had been elected members of the Board. On the motion of Mr J. H. Redwood, Mr George Dodson was re-elected Chairman for the year. The Chairman reported that in company with another member of the Board he had recently visited the pile dam at the head of Fox Island, being anxious to see what effect the last flood had upon these works. On arriving at the first stream, which runs on the North or Spring Creek side of the river, they found the channel had been scoured out to a considerable depth, and seven of the piles had been completely rooted out, and were laid quite flat, whilst two of the piles (being one on each side of the breach thus made) were leaning over

at an angle of 45 degrees. The streams running towards the South were more numerous than formerly—some of them being very much deeper than when he was up last. This was more noticeable along that part of the dam where the wires had been fixed to the piles, and they could only account for it by assuming that the accumulation of debris on the wire increased the downward pressure of the water to such an extent that large bodies of shingle were scoured out from the bed of the stream aud then carried away by the force of the current, Having carefully examined the dam along its entire length, his opinion was, that had the wires been fixed to all the piles, most of them if not all, would have shared the same fate as the seven piles on the North side. There was no doubt in his mind that the dam had the contrary effect to that intended, for instead of forcing the Opawa water into that of the Wairau it was assisting to close several of the branches of the latter streams by raising large shingle bars at their mouths. An account of £2O 3s 9d was received from Mr Conolly for law charges re injunction against the Lower Wairau Rivers Board.

The Board thought the charges were very reasonable, and the account was passed for payment. The following accounts were then passed for payment:—Secretary £5, Returning Officer £1 Is, E. T. Conolly £2O 3s 9d. The Board then adjourned.