WAITAKI DAM

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22258, 10 May 1934, Page 10

WAITAKI DAM

COMPLETION BY AUGUST EXCELLENT PROGRESS MADE (Special to Daily Times.) OAMARU, May 9. For several months past weather conditions and the state of the river have been very favourable towards the construction of the huge dam across the Waitaki River above Kurow. As a result, the work has now readied a stage that, but for exceptional circumstances, the completion of the Waitaki Hydroelectric works is only a matter of months. Recently the _ work has progressed much more quickly than was expected, bringing with it the possibility of an earlier completion than the scheduled time of March, 1935, and according to Mr R. H. Packwood (engineer-iii-charge), the rate of progress, if maintained, will enable the structure to be completed by August next. No effort is to be spared to minimise the time required for carrying out tests of the generating machinery, so that should there be a shortage of power from Coleridge in the spring, Waitaki might be available to relieve that shortage. Mr Packwood, in an interview with the repfesentative of the Otago Daily Times, said that despite the persistent, and at times heavy rainfall of the past few weeks, steady progress had been made with the Waitaki power scheme. The river had been running at two to three times the volume that was usual at this time of the year, but no damage or appreciable delay had resulted. The long spillway was now completed to crest , level over the greater part of its length, and only one gap of any size remained. This occupied, about 90 feet of the original river channel, and the work of concreting it to crest level could not be commenced until the river subsided to normal.

Through this gap was at present pouring the surplus water over and above the capacity of the temporary sluices, but it was anticipated that by next week conditions would be favourable for closing it. Meantime other sections of the dam were nearing completion, 1 and if the present rate of progress were maintained the entire structure would be completed by August next, when ' the sluices would be closed by lowering steel gates over their entrances. The lake which would be created by the dam, said Mr Pnckwood, would be 51 miles long, a mile and a-half at its greatest width, and 2000 acres in area. The time required to fill it would, of course, depend on the volume flowing in the river at the time, but if this was the usual quantity for that period of the year, two and a-half days would suffice. The final adjustments and testing of the turbines and generators could not be undertaken until water was available to drive them, but the station staff was busy with such preparatory work as was possible at this stage, including “ drying out ” the electrical equipment. In actual dimensions'the machines far exceeded any others in New Zealand, and before they could be depended upon to take a commercial load had to be tested out gradually on partial loading, i The power station building was practically completed, although much minor activity in the way of surface finishing, installation of service mains, etc, .was in hand. The total employees numbered at present 760, and apart from- concreting, the majority were employed on excavations extending downstream beyond the base of the dam. Part of the cofferdams hud been, dismantled, and the interlocking steel sheet piles, which served their purpose so admirably, had been sold to a gold-mining company in Central Otago. This company had also hired from the department the pile-driving plant and equipment, together with the sendees of some experienced men, and the results of the application of modern methods of cofferdamming in a sphere as yet untried in this country would no doubt be watched with much Interest.