up rock, sand, and silt. The lake side surface of the dam was faced with rip-rap (ungraded pit gravel) which was later plant with willows to control the impact of waves on the dam. Later the downstream face was sown with clover and grass. Gravel was sourced from an area close to the site of the new surge chamber and also mixed there to create concrete. By early 1923 the dam and control gates were completed. As the dam was formed the lake level rose and found a new outlet through the control gates, through which the water flowed before rejoining the original river bed. Work commenced on digging the canal using a wood-fired steam shovel and drag line hired from the Public Works Department. The dug out material that was not laid alongside the canal to form stopbanks was conveyed away by horse pulled carts. At the terminus of the canal work commenced on the forebay structure where the water was to be directed into a single pipeline. By June 1923 the steel needed for the pipeline was arriving on site and being rolled on site by the Dunedin Engineering and Steel Company using horse pulled rollers. The roiled plates were then dripped in a boiling pitch and tar to protect them then riveted in long sections before being transported to required location for mounting on a cradle. Progress had reached the point by this time that SEPS placed orders for the turbines, valves, generators, exciters and switchgear. Due to poor economic conditions the total cost of £19,859 was well under what the quotations they had received two years earlier. The equipment suppliers were Boving, turbines and valves, English Electric, generators and exciters; Reyrolle, switchgear. In early 1924 heavy rainfall caused the Waiau River to rise and flood the foundations for the powerhouse. As a result, it was decided to redesign the foundations so that it was of the "tank" top with allowed the river could rise above the floor level without interfering with the power station's operation. The flooding also caused damage to the approaches to the bridge over the Waiau which allowed the river to scour around the bridge's pillars. As a result, extensive remedial work was required. the only upside of the heavy rainfall was that Lake Monowai rose which confirmed that the dam and control gates were up to the task. A car was driven