POWER SUPPLY.

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 20916, 25 July 1933, Page 12

POWER SUPPLY.

CONDITIONS AT LAKE COLERIDGE. NO ANXIETY FELT BY THE DEPARTMENT. Some statements quoted from the annual report by Mr E. Hitchcock, general manager of the Christchureh Municipal Electricity Department, referring to the importance of the completio2i of the Waitaki power station in order to secure a stable power loading for Christchureh, which appeared in the issue of "The Press" of last Tuesday, were the subject of a statement made yesterday by Mr R. G. Mac Gibbon,! District Electrical Engineer, Public Works Department. Mr Mac Gibbon referred to the following quotation from Mr Hitchcock's report: "Although the load on the Lake Coleridge plant has been reduced by difficult economic conditions, the lake level has caused anxiety for the greater part of the year (1932-33) under review. The Public Works Department found it necessary to operate the Diesel standby plant at Lyttelton for 16 hours daily from August 1 to May 10, a period of nine and a half months." "There was absolutely no anxiety on the part of the department with regard to the condition of the lake," Mr Mac Gibbon said, "and the operating of the Diesel standby plant was carried out for two purposes: (1) In order to give it a thorough try-out over an extended period; and (2) to ensure that the level of the lake would be maintained, so that the position in 193334 would be safeguarded. It was only a reasonable thing to safeguard the position for 1933-34 by not allowing the lake level to get 100 low. The lowest level recorded 3n 1932-33, with the Diesel standby plant running, was 1661.8 ft, whereas it would have dropped to 3660.8 ft if the standby plant had not been operating. This last-men-lioned level is 2.3 ft higher than the lowest level reached in September, 3930, when the acute power shortage occurred. "Conditions Exceptionally Good." "For the year 1933-34 the lake level conditions are exceptionally good—so good, in fact, that the standby plant was completely shut down on May 1, at a time of the year when, ordinarily, the rainfall on the Lake Coleridge watershed is at its minimum, and when the maximum demand is made on the power station. To-day (July 24) the lake level stands at the exceptional ' figure of 1669.925 ft, or less than 2.lft ■ below overflow level, which is 1672 ft. As the spring rains are due j in September there is every pros- 1 pect that the lake, unaided by the 1 Diesel standby plant, will reach • the overflow level before the end 1 ©f December." 1 Mr Mac Gibbon added that in 3 making a statement on the subject \ he was actuated by a desire to re- 3 assure the public that there need i be no anxiety about the lake level. s