The control of flooding has been essential for the development of the Hutt
River flood plain. Today the lives of most of the residents of the Hutt Valley
would be seriously affected should the flood control scheme fail.

An understanding of the value of the existing scheme is difficult without
some knowledge of the climatic, physical, political and engineering
background leading to the scheme construction.

The brief for this history of the Hutt River was to provide a detailed record
of the various major works which form the Hutt Scheme.