Heavy rain has sunk plans to lower Lake Benmore for work below normal water levels this weekend.
Last week, lake operator Meridian Energy Ltd started to drop the level, planning to have it lowered by about 1.5m for this weekend and for about two weeks for work on boat ramps, fences and spraying lagarosiphon.
However, heavy rain in the upper catchment from Tuesday last week lifted river levels, with the Ahuriri River peaking at more than 200 cumecs; 100 times its normal flow. Water also came out of Lake Ohau.
That stopped the lowering, Lake Benmore rising to almost normal levels for this time of year.
Meridian's external communications manager, Claire Shaw, said the rainfall was a great boost to storage, "so we're not complaining".
It was decided to delay the lake lowering until early next year.
"The groups who were all set to do this work understand the need to postpone it." The northwest rain last week, typical for this time of the year, brought most of the rain to the Ahuriri and Ohau catchments.
Along with other tributaries, such as the Twizel River, the floods flowed into Benmore.
The level of Lake Pukaki also rose by more than a metre, and is now 42% full, 95% of average for this time of year.
Lake Manapouri is 70% full, Lake Te Anau 80% and Lake Ohau 80%.
