Most people spoken to in Beaumont yesterday preferred not to comment directly. The four dams would be at Queensberry, Luggate, Beaumont and Tuapeka Mouth.
The last of those projects would change the landscape of Beaumont permanently, inundating the small settlement and forcing landowners to relocate.
But those spoken to did not want to talk about that prospect just yet. All wanted to wait and see what information Contact planned to release first.
Clutha District Council district development manager Julie Pearse said there were obvious potential economic benefits of having one or two dams built in South Otago.
The prospect of jobs and infrastructure would be welcomed, but she was reluctant to comment further until she saw what information would be released by Contact.
"It's still very early in the piece," she said.
While exact details of what Contact plans to release soon are still unclear, they are thought to partially contain details of dam projects first mooted in the 1980s.
A 1986 report, prepared by the-then Ministry of Works and Development, suggests a centrally-located new town may be needed somewhere close to Beaumont, which would be inundated with water from the new lake formed by a dam at Tuapeka Mouth.
It also discusses how roading would be affected, and the prospects for greater recreational opportunities created by the new lake.
Contact has said it hopes to initiate discussions with affected communities and launch a new website with information soon. It is expected to be made public by the end of next week.
• Timeline
1965: First meeting about the possibility of a dam held with Beaumont residents and New Zealand Electricity Department
1972: Incoming Labour government assures residents no dams will be built on the lower Clutha River
1976: Construction starts on the government's "Think Big" project, the Clyde Dam
1991: Electricity Corporation of New Zealand (ECNZ) describes the Tuapeka dam project as its preferred option. Extensive investigations begin.
1993: The Tuapeka project accelerates with noticeboards erected in Lawrence and Millers Flat announcing the project. Land purchases pick up, totalling $12 million.
1994: Anti-dam group Friends of Beaumont formed. It moves to have Birch Island (downstream of Beaumont) protected by a conservation order.
1996: Contact Energy announces it has deferred the Tuapeka project indefinitely
2008: Contact raises the idea of revisiting dams on the Clutha River. Has discussions with Otago mayors.
March 2009: Contact due to release details of its fresh look at four possible dam sites on the river.
