Safety around our dams
and stations
Safety advice
As demand for electricity rises and falls, operators (usually stationed remotely) open and close dams and start and stop generating units.
This results in frequent and rapid changes in water levels and flows around dams and power stations. Calm waters or a dry riverbed can change quickly into fast moving water with dangerous turbulence and undercurrents. Water below hydroelectric dams and in the head ponds or lakes above them are especially hazardous.
We want anyone who is near our dams and their associated waterways to be safe at all times. Here is some advice to help people stay safe around our generation assets:
To stay safe:
Obey all warning signs, fences, buoys, booms and barriers. They are there to protect you. The areas inside are dangerous, so stay clear of them.
Stay a safe distance outside of warning signs, buoys, booms and barriers when fishing, boating or swimming.
Stay well back from the edge of waters above and below hydroelectric dams and stations.
Never stand below a dam, or anchor or tie your boat there. Rapidly changing water levels and flows can take you by surprise and could swamp your boat or put you in the grip of an undertow.
Stay well back from dry riverbeds below dams. They can quickly change into rapidly flowing waterways.
Stay well back from the edge of a waterway where footing may be slippery.
Don’t wade into moving water.
When swimming, fishing, boating or paddling in a river, be aware of the water level and check upstream frequently for any sign of increasing currents or rising water levels.
Set an example for children, who may not be aware of the dangers, even if they can read. State explicitly where they can and cannot go and make sure you are close to them and can see them at all times.
By keeping to these simple rules everyone can safely enjoy the recreational facilities around many Manawa Energy generation schemes.