CITY WATER SUPPLY.

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 178, 27 July 1923, Page 9

CITY WATER SUPPLY.

THE HTJIA SCHEME. REPORT TO THE COUNCIL. Plane for still further Increasing Auckland's water supply were embodied in a report presented to the City Council last evening by Mr. J. Carlaw, waterworks engineer. ■ The second portion of the threefold scheme of water supply as reported on by Mr. Mestayer and adopted by the council in 1904 was completed, and the third part, the Huia, was now in view, stated Mr. €arlaw. In 1902 Mr. Munro Wilson and himself received instructions from the council to report on a more permanent scheme than the running water, or auxiliary supply from Nihotupu, and recommended the ■ Waitakere River aa a source from whioli over four million gallons per day (including storage) -was available. Mr. Mestayer fully endorsed the report, and recommended it as the first part of a threefold scheme, embracing Waitakere, 'Xihotupu and Huia. This report was adopted by the council and instructions given to proceed with the work. •In 1903 the population was 60,000. and now there were 124,000 people and the consumption was 6,610,000 gallons per day. Last year, Mount Albert. Mount Roskill and the Mental Hospital, which previously had their own supplies, became customers of the city, and were responsible for an increase of 11----million gallons per year. The actual delivery of Waitakere main was 0,240,000 gallons per day, and as tne consumption was 6,610,000, or 370,000 gallons greater than the capacity of the main, it was impossible to work W aitakerg a3 a separate supply for many consecutive days. The daily delivery ot j Waitakere and Nihotupu mains combined was about 7,900,000 gallons. It was therefore essential that another pipe be laid between Titirangi Road and Khyber Pase reservoir, and instead of increasing the capacity of the existing main, he recommended another route of an equal distance, viz., (New Lynn, crossing the Whau Creek at its head, thence through Mount Albert to Khyber Pass. He understood that the city engineer's reports of 1910 and 1921 provided for a reservoir at a greater elevation than the Khyber Pass reservoir, the water from the Huia to gravitate thereto, thence to Khyber Pass, which was essential in order to work the present system of reticulation. If this was so, he suggested, even if other work in connection with the Huia supply -was not started forthwith, that a pipe of sufficient capacity to carry not only the water from the Huia, but seven million gallons of water from Xihotupu, be laid from Titirangi to Khyber Pass reservoir as soon as possible, to meet the constantly increasing population and consumption. This proposed gravitation main would be part of the third stage of development, and might be included in the estimates to be submitted to the council in connection with the Huia. The pipe line by the proposed route would provide for consumers in the southern part of the city and those suburbs which it was quite evident must sooner or later depend on the city for water. The report was referred to the council in committee.