"OUT OF TROUBLE"

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 187, 9 August 1932, Page 7

"OUT OF TROUBLE"

REPAIRS AT ARAPUNI.

RAISING OF LAKE LEVEL CO-OPERATION FROM KING'S WHARF. PLANTS "TIED TOGETHER." "For the time being, at all events, we are out of trouble." This announcement, made to the "'Star" this morning by Mr. F. W. Furkert, Engineer-in-Chief to the .Public Works Department, epitomises the present outlook at Arapuni. From the local end comes the news that the steam plant at King's wharf will continue to "float" with the Arapuni station ;or 12 hours daily. According to the latest advices received by Mr. Furkert, the hole in the headrace lining near the embankment has been, as an outcome of temporary measures, completely covered, with the result that the seepage, which has diminished to the volume that came through last Friday week, is now confined to the leak in the unlined portion, close to the cut-off wall. Boring operations, -"hich are being carried out day and night, have failed to disclose the source of the email underground stream, but Mr. Furkert is confident that the seat of the trouble will be located. "The engineers are maintaining the search, working three shifts, and they will find it all right," he stated. Mr. Furkert mentioned that the level of the lake was yesterday raised by Ift, and was now 9ft below normal. Variations in the river caused the lake at times to drop unexpectedly, and when action was taken (by closing the gates of the diversion tunnel) to raise the Jevel, the water supply for the Horohoro station was cut off. For that reason it had been necessary to c~ll on the King's wharf plant on Friday last. To overcome the fluctuations and. to prevent the water supply to Horohoro from being cut off, it had been decided permanently to raise the level by Ift, and this operation had been carried out yesterday.

It was reported to-day by Mr. R. H. Bartley, general manager of the Auckland Power Board, that the steam plant at King's wharf and the Arapuni station had now been "tied together" for 12 hours daily, which meant that between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. King's wharf would generate in conjunction with Arapuni. Yesterday the standby plant produced up to 12,000 k.w. to relieve the hydrostation. Mr. Bartley expected that the "floating" arrangement would continue until the trouble at Arapuni had been dealt with. The present staff at the local station would be able to cope with the work.