Waimea Community Dam reservoir full

The Waimea Community Dam has reached a "momentous milestone" with the reservoir now full to capacity.

Te Kurawai o Pūhanga, the reservoir behind the Waimea Community Dam, reached its full capacity and the spillway commenced flowing on Sunday.

“This is a momentous milestone for the project, and I thank all those involved in getting us to this point,” says  Waimea Water Ltd chief executive Mike Scott.

He says they have been pleasantly surprised with the rain over the Christmas period and then again last week.

"This has led to the reservoir being filled and meant that our shareholders (Tasman District Council and Waimea Irrigators Ltd) have not needed water released over the period to fend off any restrictions.”

As the reservoir was filled, water has been flowing from the dam to ensure river levels are above the required minimum flow.

"We have been prepared to release more water from the dam had our shareholders faced restrictions, but river levels have not yet dropped to a level where the dam has been needed. We will release more water if and when our shareholders require,” he says.

Now that the reservoir is full, final engineering analysis and verification of dam performance will conclude over the balance of this month, at which point the dam and spillway are effectively commissioned.

The temporary pipes and facilities will then be removed to complete the final hook up of the permanent pipework. Waimea Water Ltd expects the project to be completed and commissioned in March 2024.

“We have been looking forward to this day for a long time and I thank the community and shareholders for their ongoing patience,” Mike says.