Water spills from Benmore Dam in a spectacular display yesterday.
The twin bridges at Kurow on State Highway 82 were closed last night and the lower Waitaki River was in flood after heavy rain in the upper catchment forced Meridian Energy Ltd to spill water from over-full hydro storage lakes.
The release of water was described by Meridian spokeswoman Claire Shaw as "very unusual" - the first time in 11 years it has been forced to do so at this time of the year.
