Water Supply For Airport Questioned

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31836, 14 November 1968, Page 14

Water Supply For Airport Questioned

“A water supply should come first and buildings afterwards,” Mr T. H. Boyle said at the Christchurch Metropolitan Fire Board’s meeting last evening. He was commenting on a report that the United States Antarctic forces wanted a sl.sm building at the airport.

The airport was growing like Topsy, he said. Before any more building was allowed there should be an adeq u a t e reticulated water supply for firefighting.

If there was a new building it could only improve the position, Mr M. R. Carter said. A ferro-concrete building would be much less a hazard than the wooden transit housing buildings being used now.

Tests had been made of the static water tanks, the Chief

Fire Officer (Mr L. R. Osmond) said. City Council engineers said they were unable to find sufficient water to flow through a reticulation system. Mr Boyle sought to have an investigation by the council of the adequacy of the water supply; but other members suggested that the first investigation should be made by the board’s officers.

There was a pumping station with well water available within a mile of the airport, Mr D. B. Rich said. It might be possible to run a supply from there with a booster station.

One or two city councillors were concerned about the

problem, Mr N. G. Pickering said, and the onus should be on the council to have a critical look at water for the airport. It was only 12 months since agreement had been reached between the board and the council on the requirements for a static supply and the council had met them, Mr Carter said.

Minimum requirements had been laid down eight or 10 years ago, Mr Campbell said.

They were only minimum and probably a stop-gap, Mr Boyle said. “Technical officers of the council say they just cannot supply the water by reticulation because the water is just not there,” Mr Osmond repeated. The board agreed that Mr Osmond should report to the next meeting.