LAKE ARAPUNI IS NOW HALF EMPTY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19098, 17 June 1930, Page 16

LAKE ARAPUNI IS NOW HALF EMPTY.

MANY SIGHTSEERS ARE BESIEGING DISTRICT. (Special to the “Star.”) AUCKLAND, June 16. In bright sunshine yesterday, Arapuni had the appearance of being the centre of a national fete rather than the scene of a national disaster. From early morning until late afternoon hundreds of motorcars converged on the little township and slowly wended their way along the main road to the huge dam impounding the waters of the upper Waikato. Sightseers were not allowed on. the affected area. It would have been unsafe as well as unwise for the public to have had access to the country which has “ tilted ” and where remedial measures are being carried on throughout the day and night. Contrary to expectations, the headrace was quite dry by eight o’clock on Saturday night. Interesting disclosures have been made. The “ fault ” is more serious than anticipated. It commences some chains up the headrace channel and carries down stream in the bed of the new river paralleling the walls of the penstock intakes some six feet out and pinching in to the northeast corner, where the spillway joins the penstock structure. From this point it runs diagonally into the bank between the old and new channels and bends in again and comes to an end in the vicinity of the falls above the submerged forest. The fissure varies in width from one inch to two inches. Numerous smaller cracks have also appeared, running in various directions. The shaft which was run into the bank from below the spillway intercepted the crevice at a depth some eight feet below the headrace bed. This took practically the whole flow of water after the penstock intakes had refused to act. This tunnel will be lined and act in future as a seepage canal. Headrace Silted. The bed of the headrace close to the spillway has silted up to a depth of ten feet with a mixture of sand And pumice, while the iptake screens for some distance up from their base are covered with silt and rocks. Dead trout litter the bed of the headrace towards the spillway. They had no means of escape.

A gang of twenty men are busy in the bed of the headrace clearing away the silt and following up the fissure from the weir towards the dam. Lake Arapuni has now discharged half its waters through the diversion tunnel, which has stood without signs of deterioration from the great strain imposed on it. All danger of it carrying away may now be dismissed, as the pressure is not nearly so great as when it was opened eight days ago. Then it was only safe to lift the gates 2ft 6in. Now the gates are up nearly Bft. They will be lifted more each day as the lake recedes. The tunnel is 24ft by 24ft.