RISE IN LAKE ROTOMAHANA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16872, 10 June 1918, Page 6

RISE IN LAKE ROTOMAHANA.

NO DANGER OF FLOODS. Speaking of the alleged threat to the Tarawera and Rangitaiki Plains district owing to Che rise in the level of Rotomahana Lake, Mr. T. F. Cheesernan, curator o f the Auckland Museum, said that after the great eruption of Tarawera, when Rotomahana was excavated to a much greater depth, and was also greatly enlarged in area, it remained for a considerable time in a state of thermal activity. Gradually this quietened down, and within a few years of the eruption water commenced to collect in the lake. So far as he was aware, the water had been slowly rising ever since. It was not at all improbable that the lake would continue to rise. It was quite possible that it might sufficiently rise so as to overtop the lowest part of the low hills separating it from Tarawera. If so it would be quite possible that the escap. inn; water might rapidly cut a deep channel through the loose volcanic deposits that cap many parts of the ridge and a great volume of water suddenly discharge into Lake Tarawera. But he did not think that this would lead to serious floods in the Bay of Plenty because the area of Lake Tarawera was sufficiently large to take up any water that would be likely to escape from Rotomabana without doing much damage to the Bay of Plentv district. J