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Waitaki Dam
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Waitaki Dam
The Waitaki Dam is one of eight hydroelectric power stations which form the Waitaki hydroelectric scheme on the Waitaki River in the Canterbury Region of New Zealand. The dam was the first of three to be built on the Waitaki River and was constructed without earthmoving machinery; over half a million cubic metres of material was excavated, almost entirely by pick-and-shovel. The Waitaki Dam's construction was followed by the development of Aviemore Dam and Benmore Dam, and importantly, every dam built in New Zealand since the Waitaki has benefited from lessons learned during its construction.
The Waitaki Dam is unique; its construction lead to the germination of one of the world's first social welfare systems. Built during the Great Depression, the Waitaki Dam attempted to soak up unemployment as part of the Government's make work scheme and saw the trial of medical welfare where an individual could build a satisfactory life without fear of the inability to cope with age or poverty.
Initial construction of the dam began in 1928 and was completed in 1934 with full power being delivered from two 15 MW generators on 1 January 1935. Three additional generators were added between 1940 and 1949 and a further two generators were added between 1952 and 1954. With seven generators each delivering 15 MW, the total generative output of the Waitaki Dam is 105 MW.
The first State-built power station in New Zealand was constructed at Lake Coleridge in 1915 – designed to supply Christchurch and any additional consumer demand within reach of the transmission system. Consumers quickly tapped into this low-cost energy and the year-on-year load increase for Coleridge was 15%; by the 1920s a new power source was needed.
The Waitaki River was selected as the most promising source of hydro-electric power, particularly for long-term needs – the New Zealand government having recognised the electricity generation potential of the Waitaki Valley as early as 1904. With Lakes Ōhau, Pukaki and Tekapo controlling 80% of the flow into the Waitaki River's headwaters, flooding was not expected to exceed 5380 cumecs, a low threat to the safety of any proposed dam. In its middle reaches, the Waitaki River flows through bedrock gorges of low-grade schists, meta-greywackes and greywackes of the Rakaia Terrane. These gorges offered good dam sites with relatively stable rock upon which to build. The Waitaki River was also sparsely populated in the early 1920s meaning that resettlement would be a very minor issue following inundation by the dam's reservoir.
Initial site investigations began in 1925 and would take over two and a half years before a final site was selected. The focus by 1927 was in the vicinity of Wharekuri/Roseneath (between Aviemore and Waitaki dams) which appeared to be most favourable. However, the presence of coal on the Otago side (south) of the Waitaki River was of concern to engineers who felt it may act as a leak point beneath any proposed dam. Subsequently, a site further downstream, near the confluence with the Awakino River, was investigated and found to be suitable. The Awakino site, 6 km (3.7 mi) above Kurow, had only 5 m (16 ft) of shingle to remove before solid basement was reached, reducing the overall volume of material to be excavated. The final site (Awakino) having been selected for the Waitaki Dam was announced by the Government in April 1928, with an overly ambitious target for completion by 1931. The investigations of the Roseneath site were not in vain either – Roseneath would later be adopted as the site of the Aviemore Dam.
Engineers calculated that the Awakino site, backed-up by several years of Waitaki River flow records, would support a station generative capacity of 75 MW, although initially only two 15 MW generators and turbines were ordered.
Early designs of the dam, in large part due to the infancy of hydroelectric engineering in New Zealand, had potentially serious flaws. In particular, there was no consideration of the pressure exerted by the hydrostatic head and impact of water entering cracks or joints in either the basement or the dam itself. The downstream slope of the dam was also considered too steep compared to European dams at a ratio of 3:2. Seepage troubles at the North Island's Arapuni Power Station in 1929 caused additional concerns and resulted in a Swedish hydroelectric engineer, Professor Per Hörnell, being brought to New Zealand in 1930. While Professor Hörnell was specifically brought in to consult on remediation measures to be made at Arapuni, he also visited several other hydroelectric sites, including Waitaki. Despite most column inches at the time focussing on the exorbitant £4000 consultant's fee charged by Professor Hörnell, his comments on the Waitaki were that its cross section was too narrow and that measures should be incorporated to ensure adequate foundation drainage. Notwithstanding the Government's decision not to invest in a specific Waitaki Dam report from Professor Hörnell, several design modifications were made on the basis of his comments:
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Waitaki Dam
The Waitaki Dam is one of eight hydroelectric power stations which form the Waitaki hydroelectric scheme on the Waitaki River in the Canterbury Region of New Zealand. The dam was the first of three to be built on the Waitaki River and was constructed without earthmoving machinery; over half a million cubic metres of material was excavated, almost entirely by pick-and-shovel. The Waitaki Dam's construction was followed by the development of Aviemore Dam and Benmore Dam, and importantly, every dam built in New Zealand since the Waitaki has benefited from lessons learned during its construction.
The Waitaki Dam is unique; its construction lead to the germination of one of the world's first social welfare systems. Built during the Great Depression, the Waitaki Dam attempted to soak up unemployment as part of the Government's make work scheme and saw the trial of medical welfare where an individual could build a satisfactory life without fear of the inability to cope with age or poverty.
Initial construction of the dam began in 1928 and was completed in 1934 with full power being delivered from two 15 MW generators on 1 January 1935. Three additional generators were added between 1940 and 1949 and a further two generators were added between 1952 and 1954. With seven generators each delivering 15 MW, the total generative output of the Waitaki Dam is 105 MW.
The first State-built power station in New Zealand was constructed at Lake Coleridge in 1915 – designed to supply Christchurch and any additional consumer demand within reach of the transmission system. Consumers quickly tapped into this low-cost energy and the year-on-year load increase for Coleridge was 15%; by the 1920s a new power source was needed.
The Waitaki River was selected as the most promising source of hydro-electric power, particularly for long-term needs – the New Zealand government having recognised the electricity generation potential of the Waitaki Valley as early as 1904. With Lakes Ōhau, Pukaki and Tekapo controlling 80% of the flow into the Waitaki River's headwaters, flooding was not expected to exceed 5380 cumecs, a low threat to the safety of any proposed dam. In its middle reaches, the Waitaki River flows through bedrock gorges of low-grade schists, meta-greywackes and greywackes of the Rakaia Terrane. These gorges offered good dam sites with relatively stable rock upon which to build. The Waitaki River was also sparsely populated in the early 1920s meaning that resettlement would be a very minor issue following inundation by the dam's reservoir.
Initial site investigations began in 1925 and would take over two and a half years before a final site was selected. The focus by 1927 was in the vicinity of Wharekuri/Roseneath (between Aviemore and Waitaki dams) which appeared to be most favourable. However, the presence of coal on the Otago side (south) of the Waitaki River was of concern to engineers who felt it may act as a leak point beneath any proposed dam. Subsequently, a site further downstream, near the confluence with the Awakino River, was investigated and found to be suitable. The Awakino site, 6 km (3.7 mi) above Kurow, had only 5 m (16 ft) of shingle to remove before solid basement was reached, reducing the overall volume of material to be excavated. The final site (Awakino) having been selected for the Waitaki Dam was announced by the Government in April 1928, with an overly ambitious target for completion by 1931. The investigations of the Roseneath site were not in vain either – Roseneath would later be adopted as the site of the Aviemore Dam.
Engineers calculated that the Awakino site, backed-up by several years of Waitaki River flow records, would support a station generative capacity of 75 MW, although initially only two 15 MW generators and turbines were ordered.
Early designs of the dam, in large part due to the infancy of hydroelectric engineering in New Zealand, had potentially serious flaws. In particular, there was no consideration of the pressure exerted by the hydrostatic head and impact of water entering cracks or joints in either the basement or the dam itself. The downstream slope of the dam was also considered too steep compared to European dams at a ratio of 3:2. Seepage troubles at the North Island's Arapuni Power Station in 1929 caused additional concerns and resulted in a Swedish hydroelectric engineer, Professor Per Hörnell, being brought to New Zealand in 1930. While Professor Hörnell was specifically brought in to consult on remediation measures to be made at Arapuni, he also visited several other hydroelectric sites, including Waitaki. Despite most column inches at the time focussing on the exorbitant £4000 consultant's fee charged by Professor Hörnell, his comments on the Waitaki were that its cross section was too narrow and that measures should be incorporated to ensure adequate foundation drainage. Notwithstanding the Government's decision not to invest in a specific Waitaki Dam report from Professor Hörnell, several design modifications were made on the basis of his comments:
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