Rain for parched Taupo lake

Rain overnight has given some light relief to a very dry Lake Taupo – but it isn’t yet enough to make a long term difference.

The lake has risen overnight but is still more than a metre below maximum control levels. There was plenty of rain around the southern Taupo catchment – about 80 mm in Turangi and 180 mm in the upper Tongariro. More showers are predicted until about Monday, with increasing rain tomorrow but no heavy downpours.

However the Tauranga Taupo river has had between a one and five year flood overnight, following heavy rain over the last 24 hours. The river peaked at around midnight at 2.2 metres. Environment Waikato is working to install flood management on the river and Programme Manager Bruce Peploe said the closure structure installed earlier in the year to put the river back in its old course is performing well at this stage.

There have been no reports of flooding of the State Highway from the Tauranga Taupo’s raised levels, although there has been road flooding from the Waiotaka river.

The Kiko overflow channel, which is part of the Tauranga Taupo works design intended to take excess flows away from the residential areas, has suffered some scour damage because it is still incomplete and was shortly to be re-grassed and stabilised.