LAKE ROTOMAHANA

Taranaki Daily News, 31 January 1930, Page 14

LAKE ROTOMAHANA

-•/ RI3E IN PAST FIVE YEARS. ' . ENGINEERS ’ TO' VISIT AREA. i The. chief -drainage 'engineer of the Lands Department/ Mr. G. MacMbrran, Auckland, lias written to* the Whakatane county engineer, Mr. C. H. Brebner, in respect to Lake Rotpmahana/ as follows':—“From, the -newspapers I gather that your council, is becoming concerned at the rise in the level of Lake Rotomahana and the possibility of an overflow or.nudden outburst into Lake Tarawera and thence down the Tnrawera River. For the benefit of your council and yourself I am forwarding the enclosed information as to levels, which is correct and official. “Until November, 1924, daily records were not available, bitt the. following information as ’to - the? difference between. Lakes Tarawera' and. Rotomahana has. been obtained, although it is. impossible to reconcile the figures altogether:—(l) Before the eruption of' 1886, 40ft. (S. Percy Smith); (2) Rotoma 1 county lithograph, 65ft. (no date); (3) C. B. Turner, 100 ft. (1.906); (4) C. A. Martin, 118 ft. (1925). Since November, 1924, a gauge has been installed at Laka Rotomahana and daily records are supplied by the Tourist Department. These records show that Lake Rotomahana has risen Bft. in the last five years. “The lowest saddle between the two lakes, 1133 ft. above sea-level, is 30ft. above the. present level of Rotomahana, and the width of the solid groiuia above the level of Lake Rotomahana at that point is about 11 chains. Last November I discussed the position with Mr. Watkinson, district engineer of the Public Works Department, and we have ar-, ranged to visit the lakes this summer, probably in the latter end of February.”