SYDNEY’S WATER SUPPLY

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21975, 26 December 1936, Page 17

SYDNEY’S WATER SUPPLY

«■ SECURITY FROM DROUGHT SOUGHT PROJECT TO PROVIDE FOR 3,000,000 PEOPLE traoM cue own correspondent.) SYDNEY, December 13. The Sydney Water Board has given its chief engineer (Mr Farnsworth) authority to investigate the Unking of the Warragamba river with the Prospect reservoir. The completion of this project would make the water supply to the metropolitan area secure, without restrictions, even should the city undergo a dry spell worse than any at present anticipated. For more than 20 years, consideration has been given to proposals to construct a dam on the Warragamba river to make the Sydney water supply safe for more than 50 years ahead, even should the population of the metropolitan area increase to about 3,000.000. Mr Farnsworth, in his report to the Water Board, said that it would lower the credit of the Water Board and would inflict severe hardship if the imposition of restrictions were considered at this stage. There were 50,176,000.000 gallons of water in storage. At the worst period of the drought in May. 1925. the Water Board had stored only 5,470,000,000 gallons—about one-ninth of the present reserve —but no restrictions were imposed. At that time the Cordeaux and Avon dams were completed, but were empty. Now only the recently completed Nepean dam was empty. At the end of May and early in June, 1925, the drought, which had lasted more than two years, broke, and within a few week’s the dames were overflowing. Provision for Future It was exceedingly difficult on the data available to anticipate when the present dry spell would break, but even i'f the next 12 months were drier than the last year there should for the summer of 1937 be 32,000,000,000 gallons in *store. This would be sufficient, with only small rainfalls, to ensure a supply for a further two years. In the meantime, instead of considering the imposition of restrictions, the Water Board should give attention to engineering projects to meet future droughts. „ Within 10 years. Mr Farnsworth added, it would be necessary for the Water Board to give serious consideration to the erection of a dam on the Warragamba. He recommended that immediate investigation be made about levels and a route for a pipeline from Warragamba to the Prospect reservoir. The pipeline would be needed eventually in any event. To meet an emergency it would be necessary also to build a diversion weir across the Warragamba. This, with the connecting pipe line, would make the Sydney water supply secure, while the larger dam was being constructed on a selected site on the Warragamba. The board decided to approve expenditure from next month on investigations into the Warragamba proposal, so that, if necessary, work might be put in hand by September, 1937. Mr Farnsworth said that the pipeline could be laid in about 18 months from the beginning of the work.