MANAPOURI WILL “SAVE ITSELF”

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32252, 21 March 1970, Page 15

MANAPOURI WILL “SAVE ITSELF”

The imaginary damage to Lake Manapouri by- raising the lake level was minimal and could easily be guarded against, and the advantages of raising the level 27ft were far more important and permanent, Mr S. Cory-Wright, an independent hydroelectric engineer, said in a letter to the editor of “The Press” yesterday.

Mr Cory-Wright, who has been associated with about half of the hydro-electric schemes in New Zealand, has had about 50 years experience of water power development, not only in New Zealand but also overseas.

He said that there was no need for a scare of despoliation or destruction as with reasonable care and expense the lake would virtually “save itself.”

Reports from Government departments, Cabinet and a judicial commission would enable tte public to shape its opinion properly and sign the petition intelligently once they had been published, he said. “Should Wait” “Meanwhile the conservationists should study their pe-tition-signing activities and wait for the facts in the reports to be published. Only then can the petition signatures be taken seriously; only signatures dated after publication of the reports should be considered as valid,” he said. If Parliament were to reverse its stand on Manapouri, it would have to be prepared to saddle the country with the consequent compensation fori damages, face the ridicule of; the world for wasting some! 40,000 kilowatts of extra!

.power now available at no cost, and run the present plant for all time at a water head or pressure for which it was not designed, with the consequent loss of some efficiency.

“It would cost the country some $15,000,000 to build another equivalent hydro scheme to replace the 40,000 kilowatts lost, plus, say $1,000,000 a year maintenance; and no matter who would use or require this power, whether Comalco or Government or New Zealand industry, it would be required in a few years anyhow and also use up one of the valuable hydro scheme sites which in about 30 years, by 2000, will become scarce,” said Mr Cory-Wright.

“I am also a conservationist, in that I would plan for careful conservation measures, and with reasonable care and expense I suggest Manapouri will not look much different. In short it will ‘Save Itself,’ and there is no need for this scare of despoliation or destruction. “The shoreline will be altered, some islets will disappear and others arise, but gen- i ] erally the lake will look just as beautiful and maybe even ' more beautiful, who knows? ' “Let the ‘Save Manapouri’ i committee spend its present I energies in finding out. Lei <

them study the shoreline by preparing a map of photographic mosaics of the lake, and mark the present shore line with the alterations caused by the new shore-line, and then decide what clearance or remedial measures to undertake in the next five 07 six years we have to prepare Seven Conclusions Mr Cory-Wright said he had come to seven conclusions on the matter, which were: I “We must ail await the Government reports now promised.

“The protest signatures are invalid until these reports are made public, and should then be renewed. “The imaginary damage to Manapouri by raising the lake level is minimal and can easily be guarded against. “The advantages of raising the lake 27ft are far more important and permanent. “We should take advantage of the extra power and operate Manapouri plant at its correct designed head.

“We should retain the respect of the world for good common sense, and also keep jour lake beautiful. “We should ask our Save Manapouri Committee and members to avoid action which undoubtedly would cause increased taxation to pay for another power plant of 40,000 kilowatts,” he said.