ELECTRIC CURRENT.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVIII, Issue 18334, 17 February 1920, Page 4

ELECTRIC CURRENT.

A STAND-BY SCHEME. WAIMAKARIRI GORGE SITB SUGGESTED. The City Council's electrical engineer, Mr E. E. Stark, has submitted to tha Electricity Committee an interim report on damming the Waimakariri River for the generation of electricity to augment the municipal supply and to provide a standby plant in case of an accident to the Lake Coleridge lines. This, the committee reported to the council last night, would obviate the necessity for maintaining a steam generating plant. The proposal is to erect a dam from ten to fifteen chains above the Waimakariri Gorge Bridge, at J a height of about ten feet. The exact height wilt be determined after surveys have been made and the engineer has been instructed to carry these out at an estimated cost of. £3OO. By this dam the water can be diverted into a channel passing under the railway line and the channel clin be made capable of carrying the minimum flow of the river, which is about 2000 cubic feet per second. The area # drained by the Waimakariri River is 927 square miles. The present drainage area of Lake Coleridge is eighty-six square milesMr A. D. Dobson's measurement of the Waimakariri River at low water for August, 1899, was 1955 cubio feet, and it is estimated that 15,000 to ,20,000 horse power could be generated, according to the height of the dam.' This water, when once diverted from the river, it is stated, can be used three or four times by subsequent power houses at intervals of five miles down the river, and still retaining the water in a canal for irrigation, water supply, or augmenting the River Avon. Mr Stark is of opinion that sufficient protection exists for the power house, pipe lines, etc v at times of flood, and he does not anticipate that there will be any difficulty with the shingles or that the works will interfere. with the water races on the north side of the river. The report was submitted ito the council by Councillor C. P. Agar, act. ing-chairman of tho Electricity Committee. It was adopted and it was decided that the whole council should visit the site of the dam.