LOW LAKE LEVELS

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32537, 22 February 1971, Page 12

LOW LAKE LEVELS

Effect on power

(N.T. Press Association)

DUNEDIN, Feb. 21.

Most Otago and Southland lakes are near to their lowest level, but the Electricity Department is in no immediate difficulties.

“We are holding our own,” said the department’s design and construction engineer (Mr R. I, Duff) when he gave lake level figures. Lake Hawea is at 1126 ft, and normal retention level is 1133 ft, Lake Wanaka, which is uncontrolled and has no retention level, is at 902.7ft—the minimum level recorded is 901.73 ft. Lake Wakatipu, also uncontrolled, is at 3.7 ft and the minimum recorded level is 2.6 ft (this is a relative level with a different system used for measurement). The level of Lake Manapouri is 578.19 ft, and the lowest recorded level is 577.16 ft.

done well in the intermediate examination are being told to take a science course or go to the Auckland School of Engineering. Evidently the roll number at the school is up to 850 for a designed total of 750, and this alarms those in charge. The university will have to face this problem some time, and they should compare their efforts with the Tsinghua Engineering University, Peking, where there was an intake of 2800 students, 40 per cent being from workers’ families. The buildings there are not much more extensive than at the University of Canterbury's Ham site.—Yours, etc., PJ.A February 19,1971.