WAITARA HARBOR

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 67, 9 September 1911, Page 2

WAITARA HARBOR

j PROBLEM 01' IMPROVEMENT. j I At yesterday's meeting of the Waitara I Harbor Board the following report was 1 submitted by the harbormaster, Captaini Thompson: "I beg to submit the following remarks and suggestions in connection with plans for securing better water on the bar and keeping a straighter channel during the dry months. My recent visit to Wanganui proved of great service, as I was able to see not only what works have been curried out there but also to learn from those in charge of the works the immediate results from time to time as the different portions of the works were completed. Here follow i various methods, with arguments for and against, coming under these headings: (1) Extension of north wall only; (2) extension of south wall only; (3) extension of both walls.

"Extension of north wall: If only one. wall is extended, the north wall is the wall to go out, as it would tend to concentrate the scour on the bar and to prevent the channel wandering away to the northward, and keep it straighter out to sea during the dry months. As expense is imperatively to be considered, I bad hoped to be able conscientiously to recommend that the extension of 'this one wall would meet our difficulty, but from what I saw at Wanganui I do not recommend the north wall alone.

"Compared to Wangnnui, owing to geographical' position, the situation as regards north and south walls with regard to ebb and flow currents along the coast is reversed; and while considering our own north wall, if making comparisons. we should be watching what happened at Wanganui with their south wall. When Wanganui began the construction of her south wall, and before it reached anything like its present length, a bank of sand formed against the south wall at its inner end. between it and the channel. In passing, it may be remarked that this was not a serious matter to Wanganui, owing to the fact, that their channel was desired to be scouml on the north side of the river at, this point, and that the entrance is of ample width. "Now the ]>oinf. is this, that the extension of our north wall by itself might act. in a similar way as a sand trap, and a bank might be formed in the position shown on the accompanying, sketch. It is a cnestion whether the river would, hive sufficient strength in the summer months to scour tliis bank. In the event of this bank forming, the probable course of the river is shown on the sketch, and it must be remembered that where the end of one wall is at a distance from the end of the other wall it amounts to stretching the mouth of the river, and it could positively not be .guaranteed that the current would follow This being so, it is possible that tlie river would take a scattered course. For tlie=e reasons T submit that the extension of the north wall by itself might prove a very poor bargain; also, during the winter month?, and especially during N.E. weather, the single wall would tend to drive the channel considerably south.

"Extension of south wall: The extension of this wall by itself would. in ray opinion, bo .impure waste of money. Unless carried right on to the bar itself it would have absolutely no efl'ect upon the bar, and the present difficulty with regard to the channel w:inderin<j north would simply lie increased, as it would tend to drive it still further north. The present banking of sand at the end of the south wall would follow any extension of the south wall until the present low water mark was passed, and until comparatively deep water was reached.

'■" Extension of both Avails: This is the work which I recommend. The walls should he carried out us far as funds will permit. The ideal distance for the walls is 700 feet, hut (his will probably Im> beyond the means at the disposal of the Board. However, a great deal of good will he do.re if a much lesser extension only is carried out. The scour would he concentrated on the har, and the channel kept, straighter. Sufficient durability should be, obtained with piles and rubble, and this should be considerably cheaper thn» to mal;e the extensions of concrete. The extensions should be taken out in line with (he present training walls. The further the , walls are carried out the less sand will bank against the end of the south wall, although it is probable that we shall then not be entirely free of this difficulty. However, it will be. much less than at present.. I also recommend that a halftide training wall lie on the north side of the channel inside the harbor, such wall to extend iiO feet seaward of the end of the island. This would cause scour on the south wall, and would help to remove or (o prevent (he present banking of sand inside the south wall.

"For reasons already driven, I do not recommend the extension of one wall alone. Tn some localities a single wall has been found effective, but it. is possible to spend a great deal of money on one 'wall without doing any real pood, and if one wall was decided upon I believe that would be our experience at Waitara."

In answer to the chairman, the harbormaster sflid he was not an cnginerr, ami could not jjive an estimate of the cost of extending the walls as suggested. The chairman said Ilia! Sir John Ooode had reported to a somewhat simi lar> effect, byt his plans had been very elaborate. Captain Thompson said, further, that there was improbability that they would get, rid of the sand trouble altogether, but the construction of these walls would tend to reduce it. They must not reduce the area inside ton much, for they must not reduce the quantity of water coming in and out. The chairman though the Board should obtain an estimate of the cost of the proposed work. In answer to Mr. 1 line, the chairman said that he had not written, as directed. to Mr, Bcvnohls with regard to the charge he would make for a visit to the harbor. Mr. lline said it was not fair to Captain Thompson to start acting on his report without an engineer's opinion. TTe favo.red getting ill'. F. W. Marehant to visit the port and advise the Board. Captain Thompson explained to the Board (hail his report merely contained the view of a nautical mail with some experience of harbor mouths, ft was not an engineer's report, and he had no wish that the Board should adopt it as a working scheme, but that a competent professional man should he engaged to report on the matter. TTe did not claim that the report was wholly his own. either, for the Wamgamii Harbor Board-'* engineer and its foreman or works had given him much valuable assistance, and given him a great deal of their lime. These gentlemen had frankIv confessed that they could not see how the Board could do much with the funds at ils disposal. Tie repeated that ho would not like the Board to take his report as an engineer's report. Mr. Tline said he had been credibly informed that when Sir .Toh.il Coode lvad reported on the Waitara harbor month it W:'.< wit ViK'ivii thai (In- be-icli s-'ii'l was of a shifting nature, and this had affected the value and utility of the schemes he had then outlined. After further discussion of a conversational nature, Mr. Smith moved that steps he token to ascertain the amount of money at the Board's disposal, and

that Air. Leslie Reynolds he communicated with as (o his terms for submitting a report and plan of the best means of expending the funds available.