Young river update

 The level of the new lake in the upper Young River Valley, Mount Aspiring National Park, continued to rise overnight with less than half a metre clearance now remaining to the crest of the dam.


“The lake level rose overnight by another 1.5 metres, but didn’t over-top in the night as expected,” Queenstown Lakes District Council emergency management officer Brenden Winder said.


Mr Winder accompanied staff from the Otago Regional Council and the Department of Conservation on an inspection flight this morning at 9am.


“The visual inspection indicated that the lake is continuing to rise and with the forecast for further rain it is possible the lake will reach the crest at some point today,” Mr Winder said.


A second inspection would take place later today as the weather permitted.


Meanwhile the ORC had installed two radio sets at the base of the dam to monitor spill over. A significant release of water would activate the system.


“The monitoring system is working well and the next step will be to automate the equipment to allow for remote monitoring,” Mr Winder said.


Another monitoring feature installed was a time lapse camera on the hillside below the dam, put in place by the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences (GNS). This was directed at the landslip-cum-dam. Every minute it would take a photo of the dam and any activity, therefore, providing valuable information for the future.


The Makarora community was continuing to be updated throughout the day, with a community meeting planned for this evening to discuss any issues or concerns.


“The community has been extremely co-operative and it’s very much business as usual in Makarora itself,” Mr Winder said.


Makarora Valley residents would be kept well informed about any possible increase in river flows. As of Wednesday, visitors and residents had been advised to keep away from the river and low-lying areas of the Makarora Valley, with DOC effectively closing the Young Valley until further notice.



ENDS