Hydro-Electric Power And Scenery

Taupo Times, Volume I, Issue 37, 24 September 1952, Page 3

Hydro-Electric Power And Scenery

[Pubiished by favour of the Minister-in-Charge of the State Hydro-Electricity Department, the Hon. W. S. Goosman.] Engineers and scientists pressing ahead with New Zealand's urgent quest for new sources of electricity are at present concentrating their main effort on water power. This js because electricity generated by hydro stations is the cheapest that can be supplied. Other forms of generation may one day outmode the hydro. station, but these are visions of the future. New Zealand's need for more electricity is an urgent, present one. The search for sources of' power li^s taken the engineers into some of the country's finest scenic areas, and investigations now being niacle in the Huka Falls and Aratiatia area, on the Waikato River, have caused some people to express publicly their fears that permanent damage will be done to a cherished scenic feature of the cduntryside. Their rights to express their views are recognised and respected, but it mus't- be emphasised that no decision has been made that might despoil or destroy the attraction of either the falls or the rapids. Beauty Preserved Nothing realiy beautiful has been clestroyed through the years by the eng;ineers responsible for hydro-elec-tric development in this country. Much that was ugly, however, has been made attractive by their works. This being so, there is no reason to fear that engineers working on the Waikato Schemes will divert from their policy of preserving the beautiful and protecting the scenic attractiveness of » New Zealand's countryside.

The work now going on m the Aratiatia and Huka Falls area is purely exploratory. An investigation is being made to prove the suitability of the area for hydro-electric development. Alorig with this investigation the engineers are attempting fco devise a method of generation that will make use of the water power available without triklng* away scenic beauty much loved by local residents, and greatly admired by all who have passed that way. The beauty is in the river itself, and in the falls and rapids, but it cannot be claimed that the country surrounding these features is attractive. It consists of broken outcrops of volcanic rock, with large, weatherscarred areas of pumice giving a precarious living to scattered, self-sown pine trees. These are puny and stunted trees, without appeal to the eye of either the tourist or the miller. Large tracts of unattractive scrub rill in areas where the pines did grow.

Exploratory Work It is in this type of country that the engineers are at work. They, and the scientists and geologists, are not dealing with solid basement rock as at Karapiro, but witli the vaiied geological conditions of a former vo^" canic area. Banks of lava, some of which appear on the surface at Aratiatia, look solid, but the verdict of the drill, which may have to be driven to depths of 500 feet in many places, will have to be studied before (tliere can be any conclusion as to whether it would be safe to build a power station in the area. Should a decision be reached to go ahead with the project, then every eonsideration will be given to the preservation of scenic attractions. This

point has been emphasised in all preliminary reports that have been made on the development of fhis portion of the Waikato River for hydroelectric purposes. The best evidence of this is contained in a report made by the American consulting engineer, Dr J. L. Savage, in 1949. Dealing with the Huka Falls project, his report says: "The impprtapt scenic and fishing attractions of Lake Taupo and Huka Falls sliould be preserved as far as possible.' J Engineers are coniidenf That a site capable of development can be found. They also believe it is possible to plan and build a power scheme that will serve the dual purpose of meeting the demand for more electricity and maintaining the scenic attractions of the falls and rapids. WThat proposal will emerge from the present investigations it is not possible to say, but in due course the engineers will have reached conclusions for eonsideration by the Government. Precedents Cited This is not the first time the engineers have faced such a task in New Zealand, and because they have succeeded before, there is no reason to fear they will fail in the future. The problem has been faced and solved in other countries as well as New Zealand. In Scotland, opinion was divided for a time between hydroelectric development of it glorious lochs dnd other scenic features, and retention of the lochs in their natural state as an attraction for tourists. But a logical approach was made to the problem by reconciling the two points of view. An amenities committee was set up to study all issues. It consisted of engineers, architects and members of local bodies. As a result, a scheme satisfactory to all parties wTas reached, and Scotland today has both its hyrdo-electric power schemes and its beautiful lochs. What has been done in Scotland can also be done in New Zealand.