Council wants dam lowered

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34129, 15 April 1976, Page 15

Council wants dam lowered

CN.Z. Press .Association) . DUNEDIN, The DG7 dam in the Clutha River power scheme should be lowered and further in-j vestigation should be made into a •low-head', scheme below Roxburgh, the National Conservation Council has recommended. But the council’s latest I newsletter admits that, apart' from a few details, the Clutha proposals “now seem to be a fait accompli.” The council inspected the Clutha Valley in February, and considered the various i development proposals. The newsletter concludes: “Yet another rugged area in the south is to be desecrated.” The council sajd that it

(agreed that some use of the (Clutha waters for hydro-, (electric generation, with the 'added bonus of irrigation. was justified, and that there! (was no real case for re-1 I striding “this valuable supply to a run-of- ! the-river scheme. j “But it is often the council's role to preserve bush (quality, natural environi ment, or landscape, even against economic considerai lions and local opinion," the (newsletter said. ■ “Any detailed study of a | specific generating proposal and its environmental effects ! must consider energy policy and maximum demand levels.” the newsletter continued. ( “The environmental impact! ■ report, (on the Clutha pro-! posals) did not. however, • consider the practical levels of energy demand and con- : sumption that New Zealand

would reasonably and econ- , iomically sustain without impairment of productive poten- , (tial. or the real quality of (life.” The newsletter said the i major problem with the pres- - ent scheme was the height of ! the DG7 dam and the con- < 'sequent effect it would have I (on the Borough of Cromwell < and on the Lowburn area. i "The power planners and 1 developers cons'der one 1 answer to the lowering of 1 DG7 is the control of Lake 1 Wanaka, but this >s fortun- 1 ately protected by the 1973 Lake Wanaka Preservation Act,” the newsletter said. “The council recommends ! (that the DG7 dam be lowered 1 (and further consideration be ' (given to investigating a (low-head scheme below Rox-| ! (burgh, provided farmland is! not flooded and adequate j| provision is made for fish i

and wildlife.” the report sa I It was also possible, it added, that water Iran the liawea River could be used. "The continuing Hin t nations of water in the C o,nwell Lake (formed by the DG7 dam proposed) would cause the shallow swampland to be liable to many ecological hazards, including silting, terrace instability . eutrophication. and visual degradation, as well as withdrawing a high quality area of land from production at Lowburn.” the newsletter said “Another disappointing feature of the Clutha scheme will be the complete loss of any natural or 'wild' river from Clyde to Lake Wakatipu via the Kawarau River.” the newsletter continued. ( "Without affecting further' (power production it is diffi-! ’cult to make any acceptable

recommendation Put tiecouncil would prefer, when operating procedures are ultimately adopted, to retain some of the flow- in .< nearly natural condition The council added a further recommendation that an environmental officer be ap pointed to the project and that the officer recontmen I works even in the inv.s igat ory stages “and prevent tin necessatx defacement of the countryside." Russian* in ( ttbtt The United States lielev, e Department ha- said that Soviet combat pilots are sta tinned in C üba. A Pec agon spokesman said the United States was evaluating the significance of their presetu He would not sax whether 'the Russians were train' • (Cuban pilots or flying thei own planes. — Washington