The Selwyn District Council weed-cutter boat, the Ellesmere Queen, has been replaced with a new custom-built boat, which had its first outing to help keep the the Ararira/LII River clear.
The Wilton 2020 is named in honour of Wilton Tyson, a long-standing LII drainage committee member.
His son Murray Tyson has taken over as operator of the boat and manages the weed-cutting operation.
The weed-cutter is used for crucial maintenance of the LII, keeping the river clear of weed and flowing freely.
The weed-cutting operations is part of the district council’s land drainage work which covering nine classified land drainage schemes across the district.
This year the work has cleared weed out of the LII from Moirs Lane just south of Lincoln to Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere.
Controlling the weed keeps the river level under control and prevents flooding and other drainage issues in the catchment.
The Wilton 2020 has more power compared to the old boat and was designed specifically for this application.
Martin Hydraulics won the contract to build the new boat, working with the district council and our operator to provide a custom built boat that matched the needs on the river.
