Cold water poured on lake idea

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 9, Issue 432, 14 April 1992, Page 1

Cold water poured on lake idea

The Karioi power project may be built without a dam and lake. King Country Energy general manager Peter Till said last week that the surveyors were looking at a number of options for the Whangaehu River diversion tunnel, and one 'very possible' option would mean the upper part of the project, which included a small storage lake, would be drawn out of the plans. He said this option would see water diverted from the Whangaehu into a canal headed east towards Waiouru and into a tunnel intake. This could be done to provide a better line for the tunnel, which has to be buried a minimum depth to prevent it blowing out to the surface. Mr Till said it was still possible the scheme would include a lake. He

said since the last Power Board meeting last month, the surveyors had mapped out a possible tunnel route which would run from the western side of the river, allowing for the inclusion of the dam with its lake and small generating plant. "We are very aware that the locals would like a lake," said Mr Till. "If we end up with two equal options and one includes the lake, I think it would be worth the extra effort to include the lake." Mr Till said a final decision on whether the scheme was to proceed was still a long way off. "I don't think the public realise the extremely long length of time these types of projects take." He said as the financial climate improved and power prices rose the scheme became more and more viable.