Council names drains it will maintain

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 12, Issue 545, 19 July 1994, Page 13

Council names drains it will maintain

Open drains that the council accepts responsibility for were the subject of a report that the Waimarino Community Board recei ved at their July meeting. The board discussed various drains in Raetihi and Ohakune but finally accepted the report as presented. They heard that the drains report will be made public and public comment will be called for. " Any member of the public who considers a drain should be maintained by the council and it can be proved that it should be designated a public drain, then it would be added to the list," said area engineer Don Sattler. Member John Compton said the call for public comment should contain detailed definitions of what constitutes a public and private drain. Put simply , a public drain is an open watercourse which two or more people have the right to discharge into, said Mr Compton. Raetihi drains deemed public in the report were: the Seddon Street watercourse which collects runoff from swampy farmland on the northern side of the town; the Grey Street drain which collects runoff from a roadside drain on Grey Street and discharges into the Seddon Street watercourse just above the Ballance Street culvert; the Islington - George Street drain; and the Raetihi Borough Yard drain. In Ohakune the drains deemed public were: the Miro Street watercourse (fed by the Miro Park lake); the Railway Watercourses (passing under Railway Row and the railway line); the Shannon Street Watercourse; and the Manuka Street Watercourse.