The Evening Star SATURDAY, JULY 17, 1943. WAIPORI.

Evening Star, Issue 24919, 17 July 1943, Page 4

The Evening Star SATURDAY, JULY 17, 1943. WAIPORI.

Thr recommendation that is to be made by the Electricity Committee to the City Council to. complete the Waipori dam to a height of 110 feet resumes a drama of suspended plans which might have seemed to be ended a dozen years ago. In October, 1927, the council decided to build a new dam with an ultimate height of 110 feet, the limit which had been.fixed for it by, an empowering Act. More power was required, and Waitaki was then only in the air. But in June, 1929, when the work was under way, and after a beginning had been made of work at Waitaki, the hillside carrying the pipe lines slipped to an alarming extent, making it imperative to investigate the position very fully before erecting another pipe line on the same route. This involved a great deal of work, and the loss of time was serious in view of the growing load. In the meantime the Government offered to supply power from Waitaki, and suggested as an alternative that it would be prepared to purchase the Waipori head works. The latter offer was considered very fully by the council and rejected, but negotiations were continued for "bulk supply from Waitaki, and finality was reached early in 1931, on terms that were considered highly satisfactory to Dunedin. This agreement provided, for the first time,- adequate standby in case of serious trouble on the Waipori system, and at reasonable cost. Time lias proved beyond all doubt that it was highly beneficial to the city in every way. Owing to the terms of the contract it was found possible to limit the height of the dam to 67 feet for at least ten years, and this saved heavy capital expenditure at a time when the Local Loans Board was cutting down all applications to a minimum. In one season only since April, 1935, when Waipori was first interconnected with Waitaki, has it been necessary to take more power than had been provided for in the agreement, in order to meet a shortage of water at Waipori. v The dam can be raised to its full height at any time, as the portion erected to 67 feet has been carried out to the original specification for a total height of 110 feet.

The council's action was the best. But the abridged dam to the professional eye was an abortion: —something to break' an engineer's heart. Compensation was paid to all those whose interests would be adversely affected by the erection of the dam, although all the land will not be submerged till the works are completed. Now, with tho growth of demand, more power is needed from Waipori. The agreement with the Government will expire in March, 1945. Under present conditions Waipori has reached its limit. Waitaki, owing to frosts, gets least water in the winter period; tjieir interworking is obviously most valuable. The committee's report points out that it will be clearly to the council's advantage to increase as far as possible its watsr storage at Waipori as a necessary preliminary to obtaining the most favourable terms for power supply from the Government. Waitaki's supply of power can only be increased by increasing its water storage, which involves control of the lakes forming t'w river's .source. That means very much larger and more complex works than would be involved in the raising of Waipori's dam. Not knowing how long the war may last, it would he ■ natural if the Government preferred to see the supply of power augmented by the council's undertaking of the smaller task rather than by its own assumption of the larger one. But such aspects of the Electricity Committee's, report we can leave to be explained hy its when it is presented -to the council.