The Waimea Community Dam is now complete and pending its official commissioning.
In early April, Waimea Water Limited successfully completed managed water releases as part of a testing programme of the two permanent large dispersing cone valves, designed to release water from the reservoir Te Kurawai o Pūhanga in dry periods.
Each of the two large cone valves has the capacity to release a flow of 10 cubic metres a second, which is about the same as a typical winter flow.
Water has already been flowing from the dam through the smaller dispersing valve since Saturday 2 March 2024, supplementing the flow over the spillway. This combined flow averted the severe water restrictions many in the District were placed under during this time.
“We’ve been through a very dry summer here in Tasman and it had got to the point where we had significant water restrictions in place. Thanks to the Waimea Community Dam, we managed to start releasing water just in time to lift most of those restrictions and prevent any more significant ones”, said Tasman Mayor Tim King.
With the dam effectively operational, there are still a number of steps before the official commissioning process is complete. This includes the full testing and certifying of the mechanical and electrical components to ensure the dam is handed over from the contractors as a full and complete project.
This is expected to take a number of months; in the meantime, the residents of Richmond, Māpua, Ruby Bay, Brightwater, Hope and Wakefield can be assured that significant water restrictions are a thing of the past.