PLENTY OF WATER.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 13, 16 January 1930, Page 12

PLENTY OF WATER.

IN WAIROA RANGES. POSSIBLE FUTURE SUPPLY. VISIT BY CITY COUNCIL. "What is she running to-day?" asked the Mayor, as he stood alongside the Mangatawhiri yesterday morning. "The gauge gives 14,000,000 gallons, 5 ' replied Mr. A. Goss, who has been surveying the Mangatawhiri and the Mangatangi streams. "More than we are using in the whole of Auckland to-day," remarked Mr. A. J. Entrican. ; Mr. Goss added that the Mangatangi, the stream in the next valley,, was running 28,000,000 gallons, the two streams giving a total of 42,000,000 gallons. A party of City Councillors was inspecting some property in the neighbourhood that will have to be acquired if the Mangatawhiri is taken for a water supply, and the spot where the conversation took place was 42 miles from Auckland by road, or about 35 milesaS a pipe line would go. ■> It will probably be many years before Auckland has to go so far afield, because there are the lower Nihotupu and the lower Huia to tap before the Waitakeres are exhausted," but the council has to look ahead. The upper Mangatawhiri is mainly cleared, but the Mangatangi is covered with virgin forest, forest. -

Among the Hills,

The road to thespot goes through Papakura and Hunua, crosses the Moumoukai hill, whence from the saddle 1000 feet up, there is a splendid view of the valley, down which the Mangatawhiri flows, the direction from Papakura being about due east. Both'the streams run northand south at that stage of their career, the Mangatawhiri eventually entering the Waikdto at Mercer, and'the Mangatangi joining the Maramarua, which ' eventually reaches the Waikato Mercer. \ The streams take their , rise in the high Wairoa range of hills that can be seen from many parts of Auckland. To bring the water into the city it would be necessary to tunnel about a mile through the range that divides the -Mangatawhiri - from the neighbouring Mangatangi, and-make a second tunnel a trifle longer through the Moumoukai hill that separates the'upper Maungatawhiri from Hunua. 'The pipe line would probably go through Ardmore. It took the party, about two hours and a half from Auckland' to reach the fine site suggested for a dam. After an open-air lunch the waterworks engineer (Mr. A. D. Mead) explained to the party that the catchment area of the Mangatawhiri was 5400 acres. The rainfall was slightly higher than that in the Waitakeres, and'would' give about 11,500,000 gallons a day with storage. Two summers ago, during the driest season ever experienced in Auckland, the, Mangatawhiri had a flow of 5,000,000 gallons a day. The stream at the dam site was 480 feet above sea level and the distance of a pipe line to Auckland would be 35 miles. The catchment area ,of the Mangatangi was larger, being not less than 6000 acres. A : .-;/ ? :#ite.rihad not yet been selected for a dam on that stream, but . the surveyors were'making invest%atibnk A . Other Streams.

#The rainfall on the. Mangatangi, said Mr.-Mead, was probably higher , than- 4 in the Mangatawhiri Valley; and two years ago the gauged flow was 7,000,000.' gallons a day. The. catchment area was almost entirely virgin hush. There had been some clearing for' farms, but 'they had: been abandoned: On the route .by - which it'was proposed to take a pipe line to Auckland the headwaters of the Wairoa River and a stream called Coosey's could be tapped arid they were high enough to come into a gravitation scheme. Their catchment • areas were about 3000 acfes and 4000 acres respectively, arid there, were fairly good darn sites. . ... ■ The members of the party were much* ■impressed by thie quantity of water in the Mangatawhiri and with its quality. It had been intended to cross the intervening range and have a look at the Mangatangi, but this was abandoned— fortunately as the cars got out of the valley before yesterday afternoon's storm burst. The road up the Moumoukai hill is steep and all clay, and had the cars not started when they did there might, have been some compulsory camping out. Included in the party were the Mayor (Mr. George Baildon), the chairman of the water committee (Mr. A. J. Entrican), Miss Basten, Messrs. M. J. Ooyle, J. B. Paterson, G. G. Ashley, F. N. Bartrum, G. Brownlee, H. P. Burton, G.. Grey Campbell, W« L. Casey, J. Dempsey; G. W. Hutchison, W. H. Murray, E. J. Phelan (members of the council), tlie town clerk (Mr. J. S. Brigham), ,the acting-city engineer (Mr. J. Tyler), the. city valuer (Mr. P. F. Notley) and Dr. W. Gilmour, the well-known bacterioloV gist, who pronounces on the purity or otherwise of Auckland's water supply. .