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HEAD OF LAKE WAKATIPU


COMMUNITY UPDATE 12 | OCTOBER 2021

Tēnā koutou katoa. By this time, we hope that all residents in the head of the lake area have received our letter with a description of our natural hazards adaptation project, as well as a notice about the upcoming liquefaction study in Glenorchy. A copy of this letter can also be found on our website here.
 
 
What’s happening now?

We currently have two technical studies going on, to help us better understand the specific natural hazards and risks:
 
  • A flood hazard study to learn more about the characteristics of flooding in Glenorchy is now underway, with the help of Land River Sea Consulting.This work includes modelling and assessment of a range of flooding scenarios with different combinations of lake levels and river flows. This modelling project is expected to be completed in mid-December 2021.
     
  • A liquefaction study is being carried out so we can better understand the risks and possible consequences of a major earthquake in Glenorchy. The field work will be managed by Tonkin + Taylor, and is scheduled to take place for about a week from 11 October 2021. The work will include 20 to 25 cone penetrometer tests (CPTs) and several boreholes across the Glenorchy township area. Find out more about this study here.
     

What is liquefaction?


Liquefaction is a natural process triggered by earthquake shaking, causing soil to behave like a fluid. The shaking causes sediment to eject onto ground surface, which then causes the ground to settle, crack or spread laterally. It results in temporary loss of soil strength, potentially causing significant damage to land, buildings and infrastructure. Read more about what liquefaction is through this resource from Water New Zealand.

All findings from these studies will be made available on our website. We are also planning to organise an opportunity for us to discuss these findings in person with the local community. The studies will inform the natural hazards adaptation strategy currently in development.
 
Examples of CPT testing equipment (left), and a drilling rig working on a similar study in Dunedin (right).
Figure 1: Examples of CPT testing equipment (left), and a drilling rig working on a similar study in Dunedin (right).
Figure 2: Map showing approximate locations of works for liquefaction study.
Figure 2: Map showing approximate locations of works for liquefaction study.
 
Head of Lake Wakatipu newsletter sign-up

We have created a sign-up portal on the ORC website so you never miss out on our monthly newsletters. Archives of past newsletters can also be found here under the Newsletter archives tab. 
 
Contacts

If you have any questions or would like to get in touch with us, please email us at customerservices@orc.govt.nz or call 0800 474 082.
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