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Post by kiwithrottlejockey on Aug 24, 2011 16:43:55 GMT 12
Spy base reservoir ‘not a pool’By MICHAEL BERRY - The Marlborough Express | 1:00PM - Wednesday, 24 August 2011 SATELLITE SURVEILLANCE: A bird's eye view of the Waihopai spy base, near Blenheim. The “reservoir”
sits between the main building and the first dome — Image: Google Earth.DO SPOOKS go swimming at the Waihopai spy base, near Blenheim?
The Marlborough Express asked the question after a Google Earth satellite image of the Marlborough base showed an unidentifiable teal rectangular feature that looks suspiciously like a swimming pool.
Government Communications Security Bureau Waihopai station chief Chris Farrow said the landmark that caught our eye was a water reservoir.
"It's not actually a swimming pool, it was actually built as an emergency and firefighting reservoir. That's why, from the air, it looks like a swimming pool, but it's definitely not."
"It's an emergency supply if we need it and, dare I say, may we never need it."
The reservoir, which is surrounded by a wooden fence and positioned close to the main building of the base, is 11.5 metres by 6m and 1.45m deep.
It holds 100,000 litres of water and is vacuumed, treated with chemicals and tested regularly to keep algae at bay, Mr Farrow said.
It is not filtered or circulated, he said.
"I can't say no one's ever been in it, but it's there for a reason, and because it's not filtered and circulated, I can tell you it's very, very cold and ices over in winter."
An open reservoir was used rather than an enclosed tower above the ground because, with a high likelihood of earthquakes in the region, a tower would be destroyed and the water lost, he said.
"A number of people have questioned, ‘is that a swimming pool?’"
"[We] certainly would never have got authority to build a swimming pool at a base, I can tell you."www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/5498419/Spy-base-reservoir-not-a-pool
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 24, 2011 16:52:44 GMT 12
Wow, what a non-news item that is.
Marlborough Express seems to be unhealthily fixated with the Waihopai spy base. They are not the only defence facility to have an open emergency fire fighting reservoir like that.
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Post by philip on Aug 24, 2011 16:54:56 GMT 12
It's a pool, it's a wonder you can't see the water toys. Denying it only makes them look more stupid and thats not easy given their previous effort of letting 3 peasants with shears take their whole system down.
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Post by shorty on Aug 24, 2011 17:15:03 GMT 12
We used to go fishing for goldfish in the two pools at Te Rapa.
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Post by Barnsey on Aug 24, 2011 17:25:14 GMT 12
A "reservoir" surrounded by cobblestones and a high fence...!
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Post by Bruce on Aug 24, 2011 17:57:01 GMT 12
What if it was a pool ? (or Ice Skating Rink..) is there a problem with that? Most Ministry of defence bases have pools, and yes, the primary purpose of those is also firefighting. Quite frankly, who cares!
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Post by lumpy on Aug 24, 2011 17:59:32 GMT 12
If it were a fire fighting reservoir , wouldnt they build it away from the main building ( so they could get at it, if the main building were actually on fire ) ?
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 24, 2011 18:25:38 GMT 12
Grant, no I don't think that matters. In the RNZAF pools at Wigram and Hobsonville I recall that they had pumps and valves. If the fire siren went you had to immediately get out of the pool because the valve would open and pump start and it would flood the pipe system that went around the base network with water so that hoses could tap into hyrants. The pool at Hobby's sign said the pool would be emptied in 1.5 minutes form memory.
Remember the bases used to be remote away from city water supply. So the emergency fire system was not coninuously full and flowing like in the cities. that's how it was explained to us anyway. Maybe some of the woodenheads here can put it better?
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 24, 2011 18:29:18 GMT 12
Actually thinking further that valve and pump may have only come into action if the base water tower was emptied and they needed more water in the system. But Waihopai doesn't seem to have a tower so it is probably first response til fire engines arrive with tanks of water.
The more important story concerning this base is how is the law suit gpoing against those arsehole hippies who caused the million dollars of damage? The case started some weeks ago but I have not seen what the result was. I hope to goodness they don't get away with it again.
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Post by Tony on Aug 24, 2011 18:30:37 GMT 12
They were called Ground Level Reservoirs.
Like most things military, they were / are multi-purpose.
Regardless of your personal thoughts on the base, that it in the middle of nowhere surely entitles them to one and if that too doubles as a swimming pool - then good on them.
The Marlborough Express needs to get real and accept that maybe, just maybe, Spooks are human too and, shock horror, they may have have even tried a Double Down- that is if a KFC exists in Blenheim.........
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Post by jonesy on Aug 24, 2011 18:40:32 GMT 12
Grant, no I don't think that matters. In the RNZAF pools at Wigram and Hobsonville I recall that they had pumps and valves. If the fire siren went you had to immediately get out of the pool because the valve would open and pump start and it would flood the pipe system that went around the base network with water so that hoses could tap into hyrants. The pool at Hobby's sign said the pool would be emptied in 1.5 minutes form memory. Remember the bases used to be remote away from city water supply. So the emergency fire system was not coninuously full and flowing like in the cities. that's how it was explained to us anyway. Maybe some of the woodenheads here can put it better? With areas that have reticulated water supply if the demand from hydrants is too much (ie a decent sized fire) then you can have the option of a secondary supply via large pumps that will bring the pressure/volume up. Nothing worse than a limp hose.....  PS The guys at Waihopai wouldve been reading this with great amusement, seeing that they know everything we send via electronic media......conspiracy theorists are welcome to join in at this time  |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 24, 2011 18:53:27 GMT 12
I rememebr the first time i ever heard of Waihopai was my first week in the RNZAF, January 1989, when we were told that at any time during our stay there we may be armed with rifles and sent on trucks there to defend it against the hippy protestors who'd been trying to attack the place the week before we got there. I began to wonder what sort of strange place this South Island was. I'd never ever seen anything close to a protest in good old Cambridge.
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Post by Tony on Aug 24, 2011 19:01:42 GMT 12
PS The guys at Waihopai wouldve been reading this with great amusement, seeing that they know everything we send via electronic media......conspiracy theorists are welcome to join in at this time I was typing what the voices in my head told me to  |
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Post by nige on Aug 24, 2011 19:09:12 GMT 12
Good grief Malborough Express - clearly it was a slow news day! (Or more likely the journalist's got caught out surfing the web during a slow news day .... what's the bet they were really checking out a nudist beach via google earth, or some hot chick's backyard bathing spot, so quickly went into recovery mode and clicked onto Waihopai when da boss walked in). ;D Anyway perhaps they might want to use google earth and check out the public hospitals that also have swimming pools .... shock horror these too are primarily emergency and firefighting reservoirs, ditto the one at Avalon TV studios I once saw in the 80's. (Although in the case of Avalon and the local hospital here in Vegas, one can actually swim in them).  Now if the Marlborough Express were really a smart bunch, they too ought to demand they have their own swimming pool too, ahem, I mean "emergency and firefighting reservoir". |
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Post by lumpy on Aug 24, 2011 19:12:48 GMT 12
Grant, no I don't think that matters. In the RNZAF pools at Wigram and Hobsonville I recall that they had pumps and valves. If the fire siren went you had to immediately get out of the pool because the valve would open and pump start and it would flood the pipe system that went around the base network with water so that hoses could tap into hyrants. The pool at Hobby's sign said the pool would be emptied in 1.5 minutes form memory. Remember the bases used to be remote away from city water supply. So the emergency fire system was not coninuously full and flowing like in the cities. that's how it was explained to us anyway. Maybe some of the woodenheads here can put it better? Thanks Dave , Im sure your right . I guess i was kind of picturing a farm type resevoir or dam ( or even a private pool ) , where you would sling a hose and pump in ( or even a monsoon bucket ) , if you needed to use the water |
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Post by Peter Lewis on Aug 24, 2011 19:21:23 GMT 12
If you look down on the commercial/industrial areas of Auckland from above you will see that most of the large factory and warehouse complexes have similar water reservoir installations.
Obviously part of the fire-fighting requirements for the construction of such structures.
Some may see secondary day-to-day use as pool areas for the staff, but their primary function is water supply for firefighting.
No doubt the newspaper article was written by a 20-something green-party card carrying female journalist who graduated from her technical institute training course last year.
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Post by jonesy on Aug 24, 2011 19:29:57 GMT 12
Isnt that rectanglar shape at the lower RH side of the "reservoir"a BBQ?? Perhaps thats the "Frost inhibitor apparatus" with a lid on it.....
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Post by Bruce on Aug 24, 2011 21:56:35 GMT 12
If I was cooped up in a windowless computer room through the middle of a Marlborough Summer I would hope there would at least be some social facilities on site. If someone has put a Frost inhibitor by the reservoir, then good on them!
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Post by Bruce on Aug 24, 2011 22:17:39 GMT 12
Using the Editor's name from the Marlborough express web site and a quick check in the whitepages, I can say that the editor also has a firefighting reservoir in his back yard!
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Post by jonesy on Aug 24, 2011 23:37:09 GMT 12
Using the Editor's name from the Marlborough express web site and a quick check in the whitepages, I can say that the editor also has a firefighting reservoir in his back yard! Great stuff! bet those GCSB chaps have HIS place on frequent watch...just cos he might be a terrorist or something ya know! |
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