Agreement Varied To Protect Lakes’ Scenery

Press, Volume C, Issue 29497, 26 April 1961, Page 14

Agreement Varied To Protect Lakes’ Scenery

(MX AnocMttumJ WELLINGTON, April 25. Major safeguards designed to protect the scenic beauty of Lakes Manapouri and Te Anau have been negotiated between the Government and representatives of Consolidated Zinc. S , i

Control within narrow limits of the level of Manapouri wifi he nt aintained in the terms of to be .made in the agreement readied in February last year on the use of the lake to generate electricity for an aluminium smdtjng industry. The variation agreed on between the Government and Consolidated Zinc was announced on behalf of the Government and the company by the Minister of Works (Mr Goosman) this evening. Treatment of the foreshore, wifi conform to strict requirements for scenery pisoervnh tion and the Government’s requirements huto been accepted by Consolidated Zine.

“Full development for generating purposes will take place in stages,” said Mr Goosman. “In the first stage the Manapouri lake level will not be raised at all. This stage will develop 285,000 kilowatts for a smelter at Bluff with an output of 120,000 tons of aluminium a year. "The second stage will follow very much later, probably not tor another ten years or more, and even the investigations of various alternative ways of designing the second stage have not yet been completed. “Nevertheless, the company and the Government have been seriously concerned to agree now on the principles to be followed in designing the operating system, so as to preserve the scenic beauty of the lake and its shores. The company has accepted the limitation of the right to vary the level of Manapouri given in the agreement.” This satisfactory outcome was welcomed by the Government, said Mr Gooman It resulted from conferences he had had with representatives of the company last week. Co-operative Attitude The attitude of the company had been fully co-opera-tive, he said. It held equally with the Government the view that Manapouri should, and could, remain a lovely scenic area and a tourist attraction, and had of its own volition undertaken a number of projects for protection and beautification of the area. Explaining the provisions on control of the lake level, Mr Goosman said the 1960 agreement provided tor a theoretical operating range of 100 feet in Manapouri. However, the result of last week's discussions was that the ' maximum range in final > development would be 27$ ■ feet. In normal seasons the 1 variation would be substani tially less than this maximum 1 figure.

The company would use every endeavour to prevent heavy floods from raising the level even temporarily, and had undertaken to "reduce uncontrollable floods speedily to the control level.” For the treatment of the shores of Manapouri in the second stage, of development, the company had accepted

requirements that, withinthe! scrub would be cleared ot| gradients where mechMUcaJ] grpunn stumps • gruww, expected that would dev mbrt veget»ttoa| on the steepest slopes. Fallen! vegetation and any remain-1 ing trees would be removed by the company. Where vegetation might be affected by water above the operating range of the lake, -Satti’s: same way as the operating zone. All trees and vegetation cut for scenery preservation. would be removed or burned. • . Safe navigation would be assured by clearing to five feet below the lowest operating level of the lake. At approaches to jetties, the . clearing would be taken to a depth of ten feet. 1 Replacement Of Huts Any jetty or hut now : existing which might be submerged would be replaced by the company in consultation with the Fiordland Park

Board. A navigating chart would be published. Any area more than two chains from the main shoreline, or island shorelines where there might be less than 10 feet of clear water, would be marked by beacon, indicated by notice or shown on the chart. At each jetty the company would put a fixed gauge board to show the lake level. “The levels required by the agreement have beer, fixed so as to define the levels given previously by description,” said Mr Goosman. “Precise surveys have been completed which enable levels to be stated accurately. “In respect of Lake Te Anau the agreement refers to what is called a datum level at Te Anau township. This is the extreme flood level. The maximum control level. will be substantially below this level. Substantial shoreline damage, therefore, is not expected around Lake Te Anau, and, in any case, the company assumes responsibility for treatment on the same lines as for Manapouri. Furthermore, the Government and the company

have agreed to investigate • .j proposal to lower the outlet i from Te Anau, which should < remove the possibility of any i shoreline damage. “There are low-lying area* 1 of Te Anau towruhip which ’ at ordinary flood period* become swampy and 'carry *W- i face water. The company ha* 1 offered, in the second stage of development, to raise the i areas and any improvement* ( now upon them, at its own i expense, that they will be I clear of surface water at ex- I treme lake flood level.” he Picnic Area* offer by the comIpany wa s to provide attracItiV* picnic areas round the lake shore* st «ite« selected >lin 1 ;Mu*ultati<M> with . the ithitee.'to ; 'he completed to the .iMlnirter’* ratisfactlon within tfftva. ye«ur« of the water reachi|raj£«6 new maximum level i|l|jW»7any Change due to copboftrd for Miy tufthc? iin* provmnent the board «m--91 the Government w— eoalMeat thnt Zin- ATurftlnluS? would bring great, benefit* to New Zealand, and that its development was in the hands of responsible people > who earnestly desired to pre- > serve the scenic beauties of . Southland.