Lower Nihotupu Reservoir facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lower Nihotupu Reservoir |
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Looking south, the reservoir from the Rainforest Express bush tram line.
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 Lower Nihotupu Reservoir
Location in New Zealand Auckland
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| Location | Auckland, North Island |
| Coordinates | 36°57′32″S 174°36′48″E / 36.9588°S 174.6132°E |
| Type | Reservoir |
| Basin countries | New Zealand |
| Surface area | 52.9 ha (131 acres) |
| Water volume | 4.60×106–4.81×106 m3 (3,730–3,900 acre⋅ft) |
The Lower Nihotupu Reservoir is a big lake built by people. It is one of five special lakes in the Waitākere Ranges that help supply water to homes and businesses in Auckland.
This reservoir was built between 1945 and 1948. It covers an area of about 52.9 hectares, which is like 130 football fields! It can hold around 4.6 million cubic metres of water. That's a lot of water! A company called Water Care Services Limited, which is owned by the local council, looks after the reservoir.
Building the Dam
The dam that holds back the water for the Lower Nihotupu Reservoir was very important. It was one of the first big projects in New Zealand to use a new science called soil mechanics. This science helps engineers understand how different types of soil behave when you build large structures on them.
Learning from this dam helped engineers and scientists. It even led to a new subject called engineering geology being taught at the University of Auckland Faculty of Engineering. This shows how important the dam was for learning about building safely on different types of ground.
