PEAK NEARED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 3000, 19 December 1935, Page 16

PEAK NEARED.

DEMAND FOR WATER.

THE RECENT DRY SPELL NO CAUSE FOR ANXIETY. The daily water consumption in Auckland during the recent three weeks' dry spell very nearly reached the record consumption of 12,182,000 gallons, which occurred on Fcburary 2 last and exceeded the previous record of 11,531,000 gallons established on February 9, 1932. The winter average daily consumption was just under 8,000,000 gallons, but in November the demand for water began to increase, and the 8,000,000 gallons mark was passed. The figure crept up steadily until, at the beginning of December, it stood at 10,500,000 gallons. Then Auckhmders developed a thirst and gardens and lawns wanted watering — a. blazing sun making things uncomfortably hot coming on top of a fairly cold and damp spring. The water consumption figures took a leap, hovering round 11,000,000 gallons for a time and then reaching the peak for the present summer of 11,800,000 gallons. The Auckland City Council's reservoirs at Waitakere, Nihotifpu and Huia, however, had scarcely begun to feel the effects of the dry period despite this demand when the weather broke last Saturday, and at the present time there are approximately 1,500,000,000 gallons of water in storage in the ra-nges, whereas the reservoirs when full have a capacity of 1,569,000,000 gallons. The position last season, when abnormally hot conditions prevailed, approached the serious stage and the available supply dropped to 943,000,000 gallons. Before the Huia dam was erected the city's water supply was even less assured, and the level of "the dams used to run much lower than the figure for last summer. At the present time there is no cause for anxiety as to the ability of the dams to cope with the water requirements of the public in the city, including Birkenhead, and excluding Oneliunga, Mount Roskill, One Tree Hill, Ellerslie, and North Shore, which have independent sources of supply, as the storage in the Waitakere ranges is ample even if there is a hot spell in January, February and March. The only difficulty that occurs in connection with the supply is in the suburban feeder mains. These are sufficient to supply all normal requirements, but the summer garden watering demand, causes a loss of pressure in some districts. The trouble was most severe in the Tamaki area last summer and the pressure on the higher levels fell to zero in a number of cases. An improvement has been effected in this district by the laying down of new mains, and further extensions are now being made. In addition the two new reservoirs on Mount Hobson, which have increased the storage capacity on the mountain from 1,200,000 gallons to 5,200,000 gallons, will assist in maintaining pressure.