LAKE COLERIDGE

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20028, 9 September 1930, Page 10

LAKE COLERIDGE

POSITION GRAVE. ONLY FOURTEEN DAYS' FULL SUPPLY. FURTHER ECONOMIES POSSIBLE. "Without a heavy fall of rain, and unless further stringent economics are made at onco, the water in Lake Coleridge will bo insufficient to meet the power demand in less than 14 days," said the chairman of tho Christchurch City Council's Electricity Committee (Cr. H. T. J. Thacker), following a special meeting of the committee yesterday afternoon, at which further ecoi nomies were enforced. The south-west rains have had no effect in the catchment area of the lake, and even with the decreased week-end load, which normally enables it to recover, the water level is again falling. The Harper Biver has been frozen in its upper reaches, and within 24 hours the inflow into the Lake has decreased by 100 cubic feet a second. Tho position is now extremely grave, and the Electricity Committee, in a last effort to postpone the shortage, announces that it will take steps to compel obedience of its instructions. Further measures of economy were recommended by the committee as follows: (1) Street-lighting, which has since last Thursday been switched off at midnight, mil not be switched on at all on moonlight nights. The lighting on the Bridge of Remembrance is to be reduced, and that on the Scott Statue cut out. The Lyttelton. Line. (2) The District Electrical Engineer (Mr B. G. Mac Gibbon), who attended the meoting, has been asked to request the Railway Department to revert to steam power on the Lyttelton line. The Department uses a maximum of 600 k.w. and a continuous load of about 150 k.w. It may at least make some reduction by shunting under steam. An officer stated last evening that the return to steam was possible in an emergency, though not desirable. (3) A further appeal is made to shopkeepers to use the minimum of display lighting, and none at all after hours; to the public and to office-workers for economies in the uso of radiators, water-heaters, and non-essential lighting generally. An urgent request is made to all firms having stand-by plants to bring them into operation. (4) Tho suction gaß pumping plant at Beckenhara was put into use yesterday. (5) The Public Works Department has been asked to call a conference of the consuming authorities supplied from Lake Coleridge in an attempt to make uniform the economies which are now being enforced. The future supply from the lake will also be discussed, since it is apparent that the position may be serious for somo months. Lack of Support. While many firms in Christchurch have given the Municipal Electricity Department the fullest co-operation in reducing their power consumption to a minimum, others have taken an unreasonable attitude and refused to make the economies suggested. Tho owners of between 100 and 150 shops who did not switch off their display lightiug after hours were interviewed yesterday by officers of the M.E.D. ''The committee has decided that it. will be in duty bound to compel obedience of its instructions in these cases," said Cr. Thacker. "While some are giving us every assistance, other miserable citizens are still waiting for the lead. The position is one of the utmost seriousness—as they themselves will realise when their power is cut off in 14 days' time. There has been some saving of power, but our figures show that the public does not yet realise the gravity of the situation. If'it becomes necessary, we intend to send inspectors round to private houses. When tho M.E.D. sends out its noxt bills, we shall soon know which consumers are doing their best to help us, and which are not." The Destructor Plant. Discussing the impending situation when insufficient power is available to meet tho full demand, Cr. Thacker stated that the City would have to be cut out in blocks. The non-essential industries, such as the picture theatres, would bo the first to be cut off. The committee gave some time to a discussion whether the Council's steam standby plant at tho destructor should be brought into operation. Since tho use of this plant would moan that insufficient steam would be available to heat the Municipal baths, and that another method would havo to be found of disposing of refuse, it was decided not to start it at present. The committee is now to meet every three days, so that if the position is not relieved, the plant may be put to work by the end of this week. The Electrical Engineer reported to the committee that his Department had put stringent restrictions on tho use of power at Awakino, said Cr. Thacker. Personally, he commended the idea of a conference of local bodies, for this, in addition to securing uniform measures of economy, would make the public realise its duties. He emphasised that rain at Christchurch did not mean rain at Lako Coleridgo. Consumors, therefore, must not assume that because there was a sou'-wester in the City the position was materially relieved; for, in actual fact, over tho week-end, when there was a heavy fall of rain in Christchurch, the level of the lake had dropped. North-West Storms Needed. "What we need at Lake Coleridgo is a series of north-west storms," said Mr Mac Gibbon yesterday. "The southerly weather has merely aggravated tho position by freezing up the Harper -iver. Since Saturday, less than one-third of an inch of rain has - fallen. Further, because of the wintry weather in the City, the demand for power has materially increased. I can only say again that the present economies are quite inadequate if a disaster is to be avoided." There was a further fall of snow in the watershed of the Harper river last evening. This will ultimately increase the flow, but not until the melting rains come from tho north-west. The following is a tabic of the daily demand, in units, on the Lake Coleridge power-house during the past three weoks: — Week ended Aug. 24. Aug. 31. Sept. 7. Monday .. 411,000 414,800 375,500 Tuesday .. 406,400 391,900 381,600 Wednesday .. 400,400 £90,200 383,700 Thursday .. 401,700 880,600 378.300 Friday .- 419.C00 382,200 364,600 Saturday .. 374,000 348,300 325,960 Sunday ... 280,700 259,200 249,610 Total rtv 2>oß3,Boo 2,673,200 2,459,370

The difference between the totals ■ for the week ended August 24th and that following is accounted for by the use of the Christchurch Tramway Board's steam stand-by plant and the steam-heating of the Municipal Baths, together with slight public economies. The difference between the last two totals represents the actual economics made by the public in the whole area supplied by Lake Coleridge. A slight reduction must be allowed for because of the normal fall in the demand at this period of the year. Classifying Water-H»aters. ( The Riccarton Borough Council has sent out to its consumers a second circular with the object of classifying the water-heaters of the borough in their order of importance. In the statement i by the electrical engineer (Mr B. Serjeant), it is pointed out that a 2 k.w. water-heater on continuous service in 24 hours requires as much water from Lake Coleridge as will provide lighting j and ironing in an ordinary homo for two ] months, or electric cooking' for one I month. The street-lighting in the borough is now switched off at 10.30 nightly. This, however, brings little relief, for, as Mr Serjeant further states, the water used from Lake Coleridge for the whole of the streetlighting approximately equals that used by 10 household water-heaters each day. A form is appended to the circular, requiring the consumer to state if household water may bo heated by any other means than electricity, and giving him the opportunity to argue against the disconnexion of his waterheater. The circular adds: "The Department would like to state that observations are being made regarding restrictions imposed by the other supply authorities. No action will be taken penalising Riccarton residents unless there is supporting action by other supply authorities. It is sincerely hoped that weather conditions at Lake Coleridge will not make necessary the use of the information here given. If it is not now used, it may be useful during the winter of 1931, when there is probability of a similar curtailment of supply' which may not be relieved until the completion i of the Waitaki development." ACHERON DIVERSION. j The Board of Governors of Canterbury College will a&k the Public Works Department to indemnify them against loss in connexion with the diversion of the Acheron river, which ill its prestmt course is the boundary of one of the college endowments, but when the work is completed will form a new bed across the property. Consideration will bo givon to the matter to-day by the Estates Committee of tlie Board, when the representatives of the college who inspected the course of the proposed diversion, will report their-observations. Possibly in times of flood the river will damage the land by scouring, as has occurred in the case of the Harper river diversion, which also passes through a college endowment. When that work was undertaken, the Public Works Department indemnified the Board against loss, and tbe Board is now treating with it in regard to the payment of compensation for scouring; on used by the Harper. There is, of course, no question of the power of the Department to divert the Acheroti, which may be proceeded with under the Public Works Act. SUMNER WATER SUPPLY. STAND-BY PLANT MAY BE NECESSARY. Sumner will have no water should the restrictions on the use of electricity become very severe, because the borough depends on electric power to pump its water supply. To guard against such a contingency, the Borough Council decided If-st night to purchase second-hand petrol engines to be j used as a stand-by plant, sul.ject to enquiries being made as to what„ chance there was of obtaining a direct current supply from the Tramway Board. Economies in the use of lights ar© to bo made. Street lighting is to begin at 6 p.m. and cease at miunignt; light, ing on the Esplanade is to be reduced by a half; display lights in shops are to be cutout; residents are to be asked to use no more electricity than is necessary.