ARAPUNI HYDRO

Hokitika Guardian, 4 August 1932, Page 2

ARAPUNI HYDRO

SEEPAGE CONSIDERED SERIOUS. DEW ATERjN'G MAY BE NECESSARY. . V > t " ■ (Per Tress'-Association— Copyright.) ; •' 1. ■ • . AUGKLA'ND, August 3. It is reported from Araipuni to-day that the level has been n.duci’d four feet and that a flow of water, estimated at! thVee fi.'et in diameter, is escaping f.om the wall of the gorge be.low' the power hnune. Dive is are working in r.K'ays to-try to* locate the place of the leak. An engineer, with first-hand knowledge of Arapuni, stated, this morning. that notwithstanding the'* 'Liptini ism of tlte 1 officiate, it appeared that the headrace would have to be dewatered and it was possible that the lake would have to' be de-watered, Pneparations are being mn-de to have the Ati-ackland steam plant ill readiness. . . 1 ' .

Informjation fnam Hamilton is to the effect that the leakage has occurred in the tiled floor of tEe head-race. The face was ti..d in stieh.ft. Way'.as to allow, for contraction bid expansion in the old'-.hbd. cl the I‘iver. It wits thoiugiit that a solid ipites df nlasohiiry might crack if any sudden eti'aia- was ptit upon it, fitid tliai eep* rtrabc -biles would he fltetihli dhottgli to bear alight, barth, movelttents,.,. ■ - The Oimirman of the Auckland Power Board said this morning that they had received' nothing official from Arapuni, hut unofficially had been requested to he ready tq put their standby plant into operation when tel- - The plant could be in full working order -in a;.,'few hours. The capacity was 41,500 k.winsufficient to supply not only the Board’s area, but areas -, of 'adjacent (Boards., should Ara-. puiii ! temporarily close. ■ -TJla ts of power need have uo apprehension of shortage. * •

A PUZZLE FOR THE ENGINEERS;

HAMILTON, August 3,

. As .the lowering of the water laved to-, belqw. the lip of the spillway at Arapiihi. stoqjped the ■ flow over • the Waterliillj and through’the buried, forest( tlfe engineers teok the opportunity; .to examinie the concrete. work and the sltrroqnding country from the base of the Spillway to , some distance below, including tli'e waterfall.

The whole bed Wats concreted to prevent further erosion. ~ j

From, to-day’s inspection it would appear that these remedial measures have withstood The strain satisfactorily. LVhat may either be a peculpr dr a, significant cofiaeetion ivitii the trouble occuried when the AciciaGiilly was . flooded. . This,, gitlly. id ’ oil thC Arapuui-Te A>vartiuth road, In the vicinity of some silt nillefl from Arapuni Lftko and "fdfirlditeii- fa’it 1 spiKfway. &iniulta-neously with i)h® -iiß* pearanco of serious cracks in the tef* ra-in between the 1 spiMw&y and the old river bed in 1900, thte,gully ivas flooded. It was' thought, at the- time, that water- from the lake * came down an Old drain and hanked up there. A Cdhcret'e waill was placed there to- prevent a tgimilar ooeuiTence. -'However’, when the present seeixtge whs discoveirfed it was found, that the fully had agidfi. filled, thus disproving the drain •theory.

; The; explanation now suggested is that,- water from tlip,- Lake has see-ped si‘x • : '.'fnßi'AiV^lrht, : ooinnefitioai there is bet^^n ! of the gul'ly and tlte,' spillway is a. matter - ci:ea^3::.'fedw. of watljr .'down the old course- tofts’ felt at Horahora, the remedial rheakUrey in hand there had to be abandoned. Tho men five re engaged in converting the bed at the spillway to- ’take ithe fodcie-- bif waters, and to prevent further eroiAon in a similar manner as at Arapuini. A line of rafhvay, ;;-was '©oiistmetied to facilitate the work!. l

This nioruing the river had risen to such a-height thift it- swept away the supports ,-Under .abojirt 50 -feet of the rail, and the.rails themselves and an hydraulic pipe which runs -along them, iafel now sagging dangerously, and are liable to be torn adrift and hurled down the stream. • . .