Dam work gearing up

Press, 25 February 1983, Page 7

Dam work gearing up

The private contractor chosen to build the Clyde dam, Zublin-Williamson. is gearing up to start work on the project. About 275 people will be employed at the peak of the contract, and a lot of. the work will also be done by sub-contractors, according to the Ministry of Works information officer in Cromwell, Mr Bruce Thompson. The contract project manager, Mr H. P. Wiegand, and that of the 40 managerial staff required, it was intended to have about 12 expatriates. The contractor

intends employing a workforce of about 120 by the end. of this year, rising to 275 early next year. All the skills required are expected to be available in New Zealand and the contractor hopes to hire the workforce locally. The contractor has already taken possession of several houses in the new Cromwell subdivision and will eventually have up to 130 houses provided by the Ministry of Works. The Ministry has been responsible for most of the preparatory work for the

dam construction and will . now build the right abutment and powerhouse. Ministry staff are preparing for the future Lake Dunstan by stabilising key areas of the lakeshore with preformed beaches which are expected to become valuable recreational areas. Trees are also being cleared as part of the requirements of the water rights. The dam is expected to be completed, ready for Lake Dunstan to be filled, early in 1987.