The Waimea Community Dam hit a significant milestone last week, with the blessing of the culvert taking place on Friday.
Waimea Water Board members and staff, Tasman mayor Tim King, Nelson MP Nick Smith and Labour candidate for Nelson Rachel Boyack attended a scaled-down ceremony, with the Waimea Community Dam diversion culvert blessed by Ngāti Koata, along with representatives from contractors and dam engineers.
A karakia, led by Te Waari Carkeek (Ngāti Koata), celebrated the cycle of the seasons, as well as emphasising the safety of the site and those who work there. After the blessing, Melanie McGregor (Ngāti Koata) led the visitors in a waiata.
After the blessing, the culvert was opened, allowing water from the river to flow through.
Waimea Water Limited chair David Wright says it was a momentous day in the construction of the dam.
“In August last year we held a ground-breaking ceremony marking the start of excavation at the site. A year on, almost to the day, we recognise the work done so far and mark the significant completion of the diversion culvert,” he says.
Waimea Water Limited CEO Mike Scott says that the completion of the culvert is vital to the construction of the dam going forward.
“The 165-metre-long diversion culvert is key infrastructure for the project, as it allows the river to be diverted to create the dry construction site for the reinforced dam,” Mike says.
Now that the culvert is complete, work is able to begin on the dam itself.
“We are at this point in construction after a massive amount of energy and work,” says Mike.
Tasman mayor Tim King says that it’s great to reach such a major milestone on the project.
“It’s a great milestone for the project, and it’s good to get that major step completed ,” he says.
Tim says that the blessing on Friday, despite being a scaled-down version of the planned event, was a good opportunity to congratulate the contractors on the work done so far, as well as the safety record on the project so far.
“To get this far through the project with such a good health and safety record is fantastic,” he says.
Tim says that while it has been frustrating to see the delays, he was pleased to see the progress made.
“At this stage things are looking pretty good, obviously we have the hangover from Covid and the delays and costs from that,” Tim says.
The next stage of construction will see two coffer dams built to divert the river into the completed culvert, enabling construction of the larger, reinforced rockfill embankment. A starter dam and lower spillway bridge will also be constructed, the revised spillway continued, and the plinth completed. Works are due for completion in April 2022.