Cobb Reservoir Explained

Cobb Reservoir
Pushpin Map:New Zealand South Island
Pushpin Map Alt:Location of Cobb Reservoir
Location:New Zealand
Coords:-41.121°N 172.6578°W
Type:reservoir
Inflow:Cobb River
Outflow:Cobb River
Date-Built:1949–1954
Width:450m (1,480feet)
Volume:25600000m2 when full[1]
Elevation:[2]

The Cobb Reservoir is a hydro storage lake fed by the Cobb River in the Tasman District of the South Island of New Zealand. The reservoir feeds the Cobb Power Station and is above sea level but drops significantly with low rainfall.[3] Cobb Reservoir is the highest hydro storage lake in New Zealand, and is entirely surrounded by Kahurangi National Park.[4] The reservoir, dam, penstock and powerhouse are excluded from the national park.[5]

The dam that forms the reservoir was built from 1949 to 1954, replacing a smaller structure built about ten years earlier. It is an earth dam high by long. The geology of the area precluded the construction of a concrete dam.[6]

A narrow winding road leads over Cobb Ridge to Cobb Reservoir and along the lake's shore, providing access to tramping tracks in the area surrounding the valley. The road was built in the 1940s and remains unsealed from Cobb Power Station onwards.[1] The access road to the reservoir is the only road into the interior of Kahurangi National Park.[7]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Cobb Valley. Department of Conservation NZ. 3 December 2015.
  2. Web site: Cobb Reservoir, Tasman - NZ Topo Map. NZ Topo Map. Land Information New Zealand. 3 December 2015.
  3. News: Cobb Reservoir level dangerously low. Fairfax NZ News. 8 April 2008. . 24 February 2013.
  4. Web site: IPENZ Engineering Heritage. IPENZ. 3 December 2015.
  5. Web site: Top of the South Maps . Nelson City Council and Tasman District Council . 24 April 2024.
  6. Book: Martin, John E.. People, politics, and power stations: electric power generation in New Zealand, 1880–1998. 1999. Electricity Corp. of New Zealand and Historical Branch, Dept. of Internal Affairs. 9780908912988.
  7. Web site: Hindmarsh . Gerard . 1 June 2019 . Cobb scheme still a powerhouse after 75 years . 10 February 2024 . Stuff.