WAITAKI POWER SCHEME

Evening Star, Issue 20053, 19 December 1928, Page 3

WAITAKI POWER SCHEME

WORK AT AWAKING STEADY PROGRESS MAINTAINED Hjcrh up in the foothills of the Southern Alps, with the majestic peaks of the watershed of the Island towering in the distance in what was until recently a silent "alley, broken only by the murmuring of the swittlyrunning waters ot the \\aitaki, there has sprung up, as if by magic, the bustling township ol Awakino, which at no distant date is destined to become one of the most important sources of industrial energy in the dominion. It is the scene of the new hydroelectric works at present under construction hv the Public Works Department. From a quiet, unostentatious start in boring for rock foundations, and trying out the most suitable site for the harnessing of the mighty river, Jir W. Packwood and his efficient engineers have made sure and swift progress, and to-day the aggregation of men and material is symbolical of the department’s efficient methods, and the realisation of what the near future will behold—the completion of a gargantuan generating unit that will link up with Coleridge and Waipori, and giro to the farmer and town dweller that which the march of progress demands—electricity! At present the majority of the employees are engaged in the necessary work of road-making, erection of huts, construction of a light railway, and in completing details prior to the commencement in earnest of the huge undertaking. Two hundred men arc actively employed, and as the work progresses the number will increase. Two shifts arc engaged in the construction of the upper bridge, which is expected to reach completion this week. Work on the bridge has progressed at the rale of six spans a week, gangs working from both the Canterbury and Otago sides of the river, pontoons being moored at the end of each section, equipped with the necessary gear. At the present time the only means of crossing the swiftflowing water is by means of a punt attached to a cable, and work on the Canterbury side is hampered owing to the necessity of taking materials across the Hakataramea bridge, four miles below the works.

Where the bridge is being erected the river is approximately 600 ft wide, and when completed the structure will carry three sets of rails, one of standard size and the others of 2ft gauge. The latter will be utilised for the conveyance of cement and rock spoil across the river, while the main line will connect with the light railway from Kurow, and thus facilitate the transport of materials to the dam. Connecting with the Kurow branch line, the light railway between Kurow and Awakino is now almost completed, and a public works locomotive for use on tiiis section was landed at Oamaru last week. It is expected that when the actual erection of the dam commences, thousands of tons of cement will be required weekly. At present mixing Inns are being constructed on the south bank. The heavy coffer dam material is due to arrive this month, and following the Christmas holidays work should proceed rapidly. The employees are housed in tents and hutments on the Otago side of the river, but as the ground now occupied will be inundated when the dam is completed, carpenters are busily engaged erecting a permanent camp on what will eventually bo the south bank of the lake. To date 100 hutments have been completed for single men, each containing two bunks. Quarters for married men are also in the process of construction, and the population is being gradually removed to the upper site. The hutments have been laid out methodically, and with electric light and other amenities the little township should provide reasonable comfort. A medical association has been formed, each ■ member contributing Is a week, which entitles him to the doctor’s services and free medicine. In*addition a building has been set aside for “medical purposes,' and a doctor visits the camp at regular intervals each week.

Built in a commanding position on a bluff overlooking the works is the Y.M.C.A., under tho control of Mr 11. J. Jeffs, a well-known figure in public works camps. The building provides everything that could reasonably be expected for the comfort of the men, including billiard tables, picture entertainments twice a week, and facilities for card playing and reading. “ Something doing every night ” is how Mr Jeffs describes the Y.M.C.A. Concerts and meetings are held in tho hall, which is capable of accommodating about 400 persons. The structure also includes the post office and telephone exchange. When the works are completed the Y.M.C.A. will command a glorious view of the lake, which is expected to extend back six to seven miles. The road to Omarama, winch now runs through the lower camp, is being altered to pass along an adjoining billside, which no doubt will be greatly appreciated by tourists, as a comprehensive view of the works is obtainable. This road is a popular route to Mount Cook via Omarama, and each week numbers of cars halt for the purpose of allowing passengers to view operations at tho dam site. Recently Mr E. W. Holmes, writing to a expressed tho opinion that the projected damming of tho Waitaki above Kurow would arrest three-quarters of the largo quantity of shingle brought to the sea coast by this river. “The beaches,” ho predicted, “ would thus lose their protective covering, and coastal erosion would gradually occur. At the same time tho dam would gradually fill, and as the shingle started to accumulate at tho upper end of tho lake formed by tho dam, the bed of the river above the dam would be gradually built up, with the result that the river would overrun low-lying country along its course.” This view is not held by engineers who know the Waitaki and have visited the works at ,'wakino. With reference to shingle accumulating in tho lake and the flooding of low-lying country, it is stated that tho probability of such occurring is extremely remote, and even if shingle did accumulate, the process would be so slow that it would ho many generations before any material damage was caused. Coastal erosion between Cape Wanbrow and Waitaki River mouth has been in progress for many years, particularly in the vicinity of Oamaru and Pukeuri Point, where in the course of the past half-century several chains have been washed awav.