AN EMBANKMENT TRIAL USING gravel that could be used to build the proposed Project Aqua canal has been completed in the Otiake river bed.
The trial is a part of the geotechnical investigations programme, which aims to improve the understanding of the geology of the lower Waitaki Valley.
Project Aqua, to be developed by New Zealand’s Meridian Energy, consists of a hydro scheme in the Waitaki Valley near Oamaru. The field test embankment was performed using fan gravels from the Otiake river bed. The trial site was near Grants Road on the planned alignment of the proposed canal, and 1.5km upstream from the proposed location of power station 1.
The information collected from the trial embankment will be used in the detailed design of Project Aqua and will help the firming up of cost estimates for the proposed scheme. It will also assist with confirmation of the conceptual design including the location of power stations and the canal.