Pipe sparks Masterton fears

A culvert pipe feeding water from the Ruamahanga River into Henley Lake has been branded a potential hazard should children swim in a pool close to the inlet.

The channel to the culvert pipe is slightly off the main river flow and feeds water to Henley Lake.

The safety issue was raised with the Times-Age after children were seen swimming near it.

Masterton District Council's assets and operations manager David Hopman says the intake pipe has been where it is for 30 years.

He said he wasn't aware of the culvert being a risk for children who swim near it and there had not been any incidents that he knew of.

Utilities manager James Li inspected the culvert after being contacted by the Times-Age.

He said it was not easily accessible as it was about an 800m walk from Percy's Reserve. "It's quite a distance for anybody to walk."

Mr Li says the water in the channel is quite shallow, and the pipe is about 600mm in diameter.

Although some might argue it could be a danger when it was flooding, he said in his opinion it wasn't a risk.

"I don't think anyone will be swimming there," he said.

"And when it's flooding, no one's really going to go to the river."

Mr Li said the council wasn't responsible for signs warning public of any danger, as that was the Greater Wellington Regional Council's jurisdiction.

Wellington Regional Council spokesman Jim Flack said although it was responsible for the river, the culvert was owned by the district council.

He said the channel to the culvert was about 20m long and he understood there was a valve covering the opening which opened when Henley Lake needed topping up. "It's not open all the time, but it may pose a risk at that time," he said.