SERIOUS RIVER EROSION AT MOUTOA.

Manawatu Herald, Volume LI, Issue 4408, 30 January 1930, Page 3

SERIOUS RIVER EROSION AT MOUTOA.

RESULT OF LAST FLOOD. DRAINAGE BOARD DISCUSSES MATTER. . A serious position lias arisen in connection with the flood protection scheme at Moutoa and a special meeting of the Moutoa Drainage’Board was held last evening to discuss the matter. There were present Messrs J. Clirvstall (chairman), !B. G. Gower, W. E. Barber, and the secretary (Mr. G. Y. Fraser). Messrs T. J. Newfch and W. H. Smith wrote drawing the Board’s attention to the state of the Board's stop bank near Mr. Newth’s homestead, a portion of which has slipped into the river and in the event of another flood the fear was expressed that the hank would break. It was also pointed out that this bank was removed last year but one end was put very close to the river. If the matter was not attended to immediately it would not be easy to get soil without removing a. portion of the existing bank. • The position was serious. The chairman' said he had seen the bank which was certainly in a dangerous position. Three chains required safe-guarding, but in the speaker’s opinion Mr. Fisher should be engaged to carry out some protection work in the locality. As things were at present the Board was putting banks up every twelve months. Had the Board been allowed to raise money as desired " there would be little difficulty in having the work carried out but tin* Government had turned down the Board’s proposal and it now appeared that the work would have to be undertaken out of revenue, provision being made for it in the estimates. The river was now right into the toe of the bank and he would like members to inspect the locality. Mr. W. E. Barber asked if there was any further erosion taking place.

The chairman said that erosion was taking place lower down the river. The bank could not be saved without some protective work.. At Otaki Mr. Fisher had carried out some excellent river protection work by means of groynes, using logs and wlillows.

Mr. Barber said he did not think groynes would save the bank.

The chairman: It has saved the bank above Palmerston North. Mr. Barber: A lot of it has gone. A great deal of money has been expended to no purpose. Mi'. Gower said there were a lot of pinus insignus trees near the bank at Moutoa which would come in handy for protective works.

The chairman said Mr. Fisher considered pinus insignus quite sa - tisfactory for protective works. Mr. Barber said lie was full up with tinkering around with banks and wasting money. The bank had been carried away two or three times already. In his opinion a special area should be constituted. ■Mr. Bryant said practically all the Board’s revenue was being spent in the locality mentioned while other parts of. the district were getting no relief whatever. He supported the suggestion for a separate area.

Mr. Barber said that if anything was done to protect the bank the Board should be sure that it was not going to waste its money. The work would have to be undertaken on a liberal scale. Ou the motion of Mi*. Gower it was decided to call tenders for the repairing of the flood bank in front of Mr. Newth’s house and that members inspect the locality on Monday next with a view to difining the area to be protected.

WIDENING MAIN DRAIN. The matter of widening Main Drain came up for discussion, the chairman reporting that Mr. Bond (engineer to the Manawatu County .Council) had not been able to make the necessary survey of the area to complete h!is plans' owing to the recent flood coming down. Mr. Gower expressed the opin ion that the Board do not continue with the work as he did not think they would get the result expected from the work. Mr. W. E. Barber reported on having carried out a comprehensive inspection of the Whirokmo district during the period it was inundated by the recent flood. He said he' was astounded that the owners of property on the south side of the drain liad done nothing to let the water off their properties. At the time he made his inspectiou theie was water on the south side of the road eighteen inches to two feet above the level of the drain. If a few openings were provided the water would get away in a quarter of the time it was taking now. As it was under the present conditions it was banked in and during last flood outlets were formed to a small extent by the pent up water cutting small channels across' the roadway. Mr. R. Bryant was of the opinion that there should be another flood gate higher up Where there was one previously. That would give/ relief to the area so badly affected at present. It was not possible to cut the road to relieve the ■yV Mr. Barber said that thee was a two foot bank which prevented the water getting away. It was hemmed in and Mr. Bryant’s property was nothing but a sea of water in flood time. Mr. Gower considered it would be a waste of time to go on with the widening of the Main Drain at present, and thought the matter should be held over in the meantime : "

Mr: Barber: There is no harm in going on with the plans. -Mr. Bond (engineer to the Manawatu County Council) will be only too pleased to prepare them without cost to the Board and they will be useful in the future even if the work is not undertaken immediately. It was decided to ask Mr. Bond to go ahead with the plans but it is not likely that the work of widening the drain 'will he commenced this year.