Lake Rotorangi

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Lake Rotorangi
Geographical location Taranaki , North Island , New Zealand
Tributaries Patea River
Drain Patea River
Data
Coordinates 39 ° 30 '6 "  S , 174 ° 30' 33"  O Coordinates: 39 ° 30 '6 "  S , 174 ° 30' 33"  O
Lake Rotorangi (New Zealand)
Lake Rotorangi

particularities

Reservoir

Lake Rotorangi is the largest lake in the Taranaki region in the southwest of the North Island of New Zealand .

geography

The lake is in the South Taranaki District .

history

The reservoir was created in 1984 when a dam was built on the Patea River . The 82 m high earth dam with a core of sandstone and mudstone was built near the end of Ball Road for a hydropower station operated by the utility Trustpower . The resulting lake flooded the valley of the Patea River for about 46 km and formed the longest man-made lake in New Zealand.

Dam and power plant

The dam, the Patea Dam , is owned by TrustPower and has a capacity of 31 megawatts (this corresponds to 115 GWh per year). Patea is used to cover the peak load . The lake has a storage capacity for about a week's operation of the power plant. There is a campsite by the lake, which is used for water sports.

The dam is an obstacle to the migration of upstream eels that collect at the foot of the dam, as they cannot swim up the tubular fish ladder at the dam. A local initiative has existed since 2007 to capture these animals and release them into the lake. The capture operation is now financed by the company, and the lock gates are occasionally opened to facilitate the migration of adult fish downstream.

Individual evidence

  1. a b Patea . Trustpower , 2008, archived from the original on November 26, 2011 ; accessed on April 25, 2019 (English, original website no longer available).
  2. ^ Power company at center of lake probe . Taranaki Regional Council , March 24, 2007, archived from the original on May 24, 2010 ; accessed on April 25, 2019 (English, original website no longer available).
  3. Millions of eels saved . Taranaki Regional Council , April 27, 2007, archived from the original on May 24, 2010 ; accessed on April 25, 2019 (English, original website no longer available).