Earthquake modeling shows that half of Masterton would be inundated should the proposed Wairaraba Dam fail

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The Wakamoekau Reservoir proposal was planned for a valley in the foothills of the Tararua Range west of Masterton.

Masterton farmer James Perry is not too alarmed by the prospect of living a few hundred meters downstream from a wall holding up millions of tons of water.

“Nothing is infallible, this is just a fact of life. If it continues, I think you will have bigger problems during a magnitude 10 earthquake.

He extensively supported the Wakamoekau Community Water Storage in the foothills of the Tararua Range Project and was confident that the designs he demonstrated were safe.

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Masterton farmer James Perry says the reservoir is essential, and he’s not worried about living downstream from the dam.

“You can have all NIMBYish and say we don’t want it here, but at the end of the day it’s a big picture. If it goes forward, it will benefit the entire Wairarapa.”

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Perry has a background in soil transportation and said the project’s engineering makes sense as it was explained to him during a briefing evening to nearby Masterton residents recently.

As part of the facility’s recent preparation work, project planners released a seismic assessment of the proposal and what would happen in one earthquake in 10,000 years.

They needed to devise a hypothetical scenario for the dam failure which showed that water from the dam would flood a path down through the middle of the Wairarapa Valley.

Investigation work on the reservoir was carried out by the independent Wairarapa Water Authority, which was tasked with developing the plans. The dams are designed by GHD Engineering Group and reviewed by Damwatch Engineering Ltd.

Graeme Boyd of Damwatch said the design of the main dam was such that even in a massive 9-magnitude earthquake, unlike the one recorded in New Zealand, the dam should continue to perform well.

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The Main Wakamoekau Dam is a membrane liner dam facing a landfill type dam designed to withstand one earthquake every 10,000 years.

It’s broad-base and moveable matrix structure means it can withstand a lot of ground motion and still maintain its integrity, Boyd said.

“What makes this type of dam so suitable is its wide-base trapezoidal shape, shallow slopes and low angles, and its ability to absorb earthquake vibration.”

He said it was the best type of dam for this type of land.

Engineers concluded that should the hypothetical dam fail, it would create conditions similar to those in the Wairarapa Valley that occurred in one flood every 100 years.

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In the hypothetical event, if the Wakamoekau Dam failed, it would create a flood signature similar to a single flood in 100 years, drawn by the Wellington Greater Area Council. A large area of ​​the canyon along the Ruamahanga River south of Masterton will be affected.

That would put half of the Masterton underwater.

Masterton Mayor Lynn Patterson said the benefit of reliable access to water outweighs the risks of a dam upstream.

“The benefits for our societies in the meantime to secure water will outweigh the risk of 1 in 10,000 years.”

Ra Smith of Ngati Kahungunu ki Wairarapa said they have seen the plans and have some questions regarding the seismic assessment.

One of these was that the variations of the seismic assessment were within 2 meters of ground motion, when they were aware of the Wairarapa earthquakes that moved the Earth by up to 18 meters.

Wairarapa Water described the proposed Wakamoekau scheme as “a new, smarter way to collect and store water to provide security for the Wairarapa area for future generations”.

The water will be drawn from the Waengawa River and the upper Wakamoykau Creek as it rises, and stored in a 19 billion liter tank located in a natural valley basin for use in the dry months.

Water use has been suggested for river mobilization, city water supply, industry, land use change, and rural supply.

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