As summer drought looms, the Tasman District's long-awaited Waimea Dam is nearing completion. The dam, which has been plagued by delays and escalating costs, is now 95% complete, according to Waimea Water CEO Mike Scott. The water level in the reservoir is just 1.5 meters from the top.
With a dry January and February forecasted due to El Niño, Scott anticipates that the dam's shareholders, Tasman District Council and Waimea Irrigators, will request water releases to maintain river levels. However, this would delay the dam's completion and the reservoir's filling.
Apple and pear growers in the Tasman are already feeling the effects of the dry spell as they prepare for harvest. Waimea Irrigators chair Murray King noted that the subsoil on the Waimea Plains is critically dry, despite recent rainfall. He emphasized the importance of the dam in avoiding rationing during dry summer months. "It's been a really important project ... it's just taken too long and costs too much," King said.
Source: www.rnz.co.nz