''That was the best thing,'' Libby Webb (10), of Invercargill, said. ''It was really cool and we got sprayed with water.''
The release of water was done every month for the regular testing of the dam's spillways, but was added to the other features of the open day to provide ''something extra'' for visitors, Contact Energy Clyde Dam project manager hydro Neil Gillespie said.
He estimated up to 5000 people visited the dam and hydro-electric power station during the open day, the first since the station opened.
The open day celebrated 25 years since the filling of Lake Dunstan began. on April 22, 1992. The station was officially opened on April 23, 1994.
Visitors at the open day could take self-guided tours around the 60-metre-high dam and powerhouse, including seeing the machines that generate the station's 464MW output.
Entry was by gold coin donation and all proceeds will go to the community.
