THE NIHOTUTU DAM.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18273, 14 December 1922, Page 11

THE NIHOTUTU DAM.

COMPLETION IN FEBRUARY.

COUNCIL'S OFFICIAL VISIT.

The immense concrete dam athwart the Nihotupu Valley, in the Waitakeres, for the impounding of 540,000,000 gallons of water as part of the supply for Auckland, will be completed in February. It is expected that the official opening ceremony will be held about the end of March.

Many members of the City Council, including the Mayor, Mr. J. H. Gunson. and the chairmen of committees, with departmental officers, visited the extensive watershed and now works yesterday, and made the final inspection for the year. It was an instructive, as well as a dofightful, outing in sunshine, and amidst exquisite sylvan scenery. Some day the citizens of Auckland will realiso the true value of the Waitakero Range as a,n ideal summer resort, and will give practical expression to something like the Sydney citizens' pride in the Blue Mountains, 'that, however, is by the way. Since the recent visit of the City Council Works Committee to the great impounding dam, good progress has oeen made on the structure. Another tier, some Bft. high, has to be added over the entire length of the dam. This final stage represents about 4000 yards of concrete, or approximately six weeks' work. The workmen, however, are to have 10 days' holidays during Yuletide, so that it will be February before the concrete work has been finished.

The structure, which appears as a huge cliff across a beautiful valley of treuferns and tall kauris, is now impounding 200.000.000 gallons of water, whence is drawn daily as part of the city's service over 4,000,000 gallons. There is about 100 ft. of water against the dam, which is approximately 750 ft. in length. On the open side the face of the dam is as dry as a sunny pavement. The work is a monument to successful and efficient enterprise.

There is at present over three months' supply of water at the full consumption rate in the various storage reservoirs. _The party also visited Big Muddy Creek, on the Manukau Harbour, and noted the clean sweep made by fire recently at the council's bins for the storage of coal, cement, and sand, which are conveyed by locomotive and horse haulage over a laborious route, including five tunnels through the hillside, to the new dam about 4\ miles up the valley. Tbe fire was caused by spontaneous combustion, and was thorough in its effect. It caused very little delay, however, at the dam, the engineers improvising arrangements for landing stores at Big Muddy vreek.