Dam Construction in Waipu

A rural property owner in Waipu needed a reliable water source to back up their summer supply. The goal was to capture runoff from the highest point on the property by building a dam that would collect and hold water year-round. We handled the full excavation and shaping of a custom-built dam designed to catch and store water naturally.

Project Summary

The dam was constructed at a point where all surface runoff converged, making it the ideal location to trap water from rainfall and natural flow. The job required careful excavation and shaping to ensure consistent depth, stable banks, and long-term holding capacity.

We dug the dam to dimensions of 44 metres long, 12 metres wide, and 3.8 metres deep. Rather than building up high external walls, we excavated down like a pit, using the natural lay of the land. This resulted in a low-profile structure, just 1.8 metres high at the wall, but with a full internal depth of 3.8 metres, making the most of the terrain without overly altering the landscape.

The design ensures gravity-fed collection from the apex of the property and acts as a natural reserve, especially useful during Northland’s dry summer months. The finished dam holds a significant volume while maintaining a natural, tidy profile within the surrounding paddocks.

Outcome + Client Benefit

The property now has a gravity-fed, natural water source capable of providing backup during dry periods. The dam sits cleanly within the landscape with minimal visual impact, yet holds a substantial volume of water. It’s a long-term, passive solution that adds real value to the land, functionally and practically. Waipu’s rolling hills and clay soils make it ideal for earth dams, especially when well-placed catchment points are available. This job shows how a purpose-built structure, designed to suit the land, can offer efficient, low-maintenance water storage for lifestyle and farm blocks.