FURTHER STORAGE?

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 16, 19 January 1940, Page 8

FURTHER STORAGE?

ONE TREE HILL WATER

HEALTH COMMITTEE INQUIRY.

ALTERNATIVE SCHEME.

The question whether it was not necessary for the One Tree Hill Borough Council to provide greater storage capacity at its reservoir was raised by the committee of the Board of Health which considered this morning the proposal of the council to borrow between £7000 and £8000 for the duplication of the water main from the pumping station to the One Tree Hill reservoir. It was shown that the reservoir had a capacity of 000,000 gallons a day, and that the peak daily demand was 600,000 gallons. Questions wore asked regarding this aspect by the committee, consisting of the Hon. J. Alexander, M.L.C. (chairman), Mr. F. W. Mac Lean, civil engineer, and Dr. T. K. Ritchie, of the Health Department. It was pointed out that investigating engineers had urged in their report that it was necessary to have a storage capacity sufficient for two days' supply. Mr. L. Mandeno represented the Mayor, Mr. E. ,T. Goldstine, and evidence was presented by the town clerk of the borough, Mr. A. Leese, and the turncock, Mr. E. J. Ansell, who presented a report on the question of the augmentation of the borough water supply.

Mr. Ansell pointed out that the adequacy of the water supply was causing concern. Since the increase in the number of houses and of industrial concerns in the borough it was found that tha pumping plant was working for 12oA hours out of a total of 108 hours a week. State Housing Demand. The council was apprehensive that there might be a breakdown which might affect the health of the inhabitants. One of the factors in increasing the demand was the activity by the State Housing Department. At the last census it was shown that 8027 persons in the borough were being served with water! Since then aibout 100 new houses had been erected and the population now was about 7">00. If there was a dry epell this year similar to that of March, 1939, it might be necessary to cut out all extraordinary supplies. There were approximately 100 houses at present in construction in the borough. There was also a large commercial demand.

Extra Storage Question. Mr. Leese said that there had not yet be.en a chance for the council to consider the report of the consulting engineers, MessTS. Gray and Watte, on the question of the water supply. The reason why the council's officers had not recommended the scheme for increasing etorage capacity by building a new reservoir was entirely due to war conditions and the considerably heavier cost of that scheme. With the proposed new rising main the pumps could handle 1,150,000 gallons a day, which wae nearly twice the present peak demand. The present scheme would lit in with a more, comprehensive scheme at a later date-

Mr. Leese said that there would be ;io increase in the rotes as the result of the adoption <.f the minor (duplication of main) scheme.

Mr. Mandeno said that a rei-ommcn-ilation by the committee regimling the second reservoir would strengthen the hand of the council in carrying out such work when war conditions hail no longer to be considered. At present they would appreciate approval of the duplicate main scheme. For reasons he mentioned, the council felt justified under the present circumstances in going ahead only with the minor scheme.