This Act may be cited as the Christchurch District Drainage Amendment Act, 1928, and shall be read together with and deemed to form part of the Christchurch District Drainage Act, 1907 (hereinafter referred to as the principal Act).

In addition to the powers conferred upon the Board by the principal Act and its amendments the Board, without being liable to pay any compensation or damages in respect of so doing, may from time to time at the request and cost of any persons or local authority make and erect or cause to be made and erected dams across and in the bed of the River Avon or other rivers within the Board’s district, notwithstanding that the same may not be required for the purposes of the principal Act.

The top of any dam constructed in the River Avon under the authority of this section shall not be more than six inches above the level of the river at the site of the dam in the month of June, nineteen hundred and twenty-seven, as determined by a series of levels taken by the Board in that month and duly recorded by the Board.

All dams shall be constructed so as to be moveable or capable of being opened to allow the free passage of boats or other water craft which owing to their size or weight are not able to pass over the dam, or to allow the free flow of the river, or for other purposes.

The Board shall provide suitable facilities to enable row boats or other small water craft to pass over such dam.

Nothing in this section shall affect the operation of any of the provisions of the Harbours Act, 1923.

The Board may from time to time alter the position of or remove any dam.

The maintenance, repair, and upkeep of dams shall be borne and paid for by the persons or local authority at whose request the dams shall have been erected by the Board.

The Board is empowered, subject to the approval of the Minister of Marine, to charge fees for opening and closing of or haulage over dams, and may make by-laws to regulate the use of dams and for fixing the fees to be paid to the Board for opening and closing of or haulage over dams.

Section four of the Christchurch District Drainage Amendment Act, 1927, is hereby amended by adding the following words to subsection one thereof: “The purposes for which money may be advanced to owners of private property under section four of the Christchurch District Drainage Amendment Act, 1927, are hereby declared to include and always to have included the provision to fix, furnish, repair, or alter water-closets, urinals, basins, sinks, baths or other sanitary conveniences for use in connection with such building or premises.”