COLERIDGE POWER

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 June 1938, Page 8

COLERIDGE POWER

LEAK THREATENS ELECTRIC SUPPLY SERIOUS ENGINEERING ERRORS MADE. ACCORDING TO MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS. By Telegraph—Press Association. CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. Through the development of a leak in the adit tunnel leading off the main tunnel between Lake Coleridge and the surge chamber at the power house a new menace threatens the power supply of the city. At present the water coming through the leak is clear, indicating that there has been no disturbance of shingle but instructions have been issued by the Minister of Public Works, the Hon R. Semple, for the water to be cut off at the first sign of discoloration in the leak. The tunnel in which the leak has developed was built for constructional purposes and it was through this that spoil from the main tunnel was removed. Between two and three cusecs are flowing through the leak at the present time. “It is as well that the public should know the truth,” said Mr Semple today. “While the possibility of a breakaway cannot be ignored there has been no indication yet that the country through which the tunnel has been pierced has shifted. So long as the water coming through the leak remains clear there will be no immediate danger but if the water should come away in a rush through the shifting of shingle we will be faced with a calamity. There is no saying what amount of damage could be done. In the meantime, the leak must be regarded as a safety barometer. It must be watched day and night. While it remains clear it will be safe to carry on but the moment it becomes discoloured the sensible thing to do will be to cut off the water.” The Minister added that serious errors had been made in the construction of the tunnels. Cracks had developed in the main tunnel soon' after the power house had been put into operation. This could have been prevented if the tunnel had been lined with reinforced concrete. The cracks had been coated with cement but though this method had overcome the trouble temporarily it could not give any lasting security. “With the expenditure of so much public money and so much depending on the successful and continuous operation of the power house I am amazed that steps were not taken to obtain maximum security,” added Mr Semple. “This is an engineering blunder of the greatest magnitude.”