LAKE TAKAPUNA

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 147, 22 June 1915, Page 7

LAKE TAKAPUNA

NEARLY DOWN TO SEA LEVEL.

SUPPLY A-UMOST RUN OUT.

WET SKASO.V BRINGS NO IMPROVEMENT.

NORTH SHORE'S S"ERTOTJS POSITION. The war largely overshadows interest in other things, and many matters of local concern, which ordinarily would attract a consideraMe amount of attention, now pass practically unheeded. Apparently, however, there is a problem which must engage the serious attention of the Auckland local bodies at once. This to the water supply. Another dry season, such as that experienced last summer, would bring in its train a water famine in various parti of the city, and probably resultant epidemics. The city proper no doubt could tide over another dry summer, but thn suburbs would be in sorry plight, l-'or this reason the Mayor (Mr! J. H Gunsnn) has placed foremost amongst the works on his programme the provision of an adequate water supply for Auckland, ami already si preliminary conference with representatives of various local bodies lias taken place ONLY 2li INCHES TO GO. One of thoise heartily in concurrence with Mr. Gunse/n's scheme i≤ the Mayor of Takapuoa (Mr. \Y. Blomtield), and in conversation with a •"Star" representative this morning lie indicated that there is good reaeon why all the North Shore municipalities should hasten to fall ." with the plan for providing an adequate water supply. For it would seem that 13.000 people on the North Shore are liable at any moment now to find themselves in serious plight. During the past two or three years Lake Takapuna, froru which Devonport, Birkenhead, Northcote, Takapuna. and other North Shore pln.Ts draw their supplies, has been steadily receding. l"our years ago I the lake level was 12ft above sea-level. Today it is only 2ft Jin above high water mark. That is bad enough, but far more serious is the announcement that despite this heing the rainy season the lake level is not increasing, but decreasing, ami it has gone on decreasing most alarmingly in the last three months. until it is now only 20 inches above the sea. If the de-i'rease— sometimes inches in n week — coos on at 11 time when the Mipplv rnijjht naturally be expeote.l to be replenished, what will the posi-tion he when the .summer arrives? Expert* are of the opinion that r.nee the level of (.he lake becomes lower than the l"ye! of the sea. the \yater remaining in the lake will become brackish. Be that as it may, Mr. Blomfii , !,! U frtrnncrly of 'the opinion that t'lo time has arrived when the North Shore local bodies should look for a new source of supply. The maximum quantity which can safely be taken from Takipunn has been computed at 150.000.000 gallon* per year. Devonport 1 alone ha'- in the past been taking .200.000.000 fralkms per yeaT. independent of the amount required by other North Share horoug'hs. Small wondw, therefore, that the like, us a source of eupj ply. should show sigrv* of speedily run|ning out. Devonport, like other districts. jis now adopting methods in tee hope of eoonomieinß, but up to the present the ! most it has been able to achieve has I been the reduction of the annual consumption to 150.000.000 gallons. A NEW SCHEME. The position is, therefore, that the North Shore suburbs may, even as early as next summer, find themselves without a water supply. Under the circumstances, Mr Blomtield is of the opinion tha-t the North >Sliore local bodies should move, ! and move quickly. He has personally I gone into the matter with Mr Gunson, 1 and believes that a North Shore Water Supply Board should be set up to deal with the problem. The present Takaj puna Water Supply Board (of which he lis a member I is. in liis opinion, of no j practical use. A body representative ,1 of the districts concerned could take joint action in the interests of the district as a whole. It might be possible to do something to conserve the lake. , but on present indications that is poing to speedily run out. It has Uminished three feet in the ln.st six month.?. How long can the remaining 26 inches be expected to last? If the sea water then . runs in. the lake as a source of water , supply i> of no further use. and 15.000 people on North Shore will participate in n rush on the market for galvanised iron , tanks. There are possibilities of tapping local underground supplies, hut Mr Blomficld does not consider the lake i supply can be augmented by supplier , I from elsewhere. Tests from creeks in the locality have not given satisfactory analytical results. Umler the circumstances, he thinks the 'North Shore looaJ bodies should adopt Mr. Gunson's scheme, which is to tap new sources of eupply in the Waitakere Ranges, and so pro- , vide euilTicient water to meet all Auckland's needs for many years to come. . The requirements of the North Shore could be provided easily enough. The I water could be brought down by graviJ tion. and •syphoned across to the 1 North Shore at Hellycr's Creek. It would not lie a prohibitive scheme financially, and the City Council would ro-operatr ■by expecting the North Shore to undertake only its fair share of the cost. 1 _