A SERIOUS SITUATION.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 95, 15 January 1908, Page 7

A SERIOUS SITUATION.

INCONVENIENCE ON THE HIGHER v ' LEVELS. • ■; 1 vThero-was consternation in many 'Welling- , 'ton'homes yesterday ,morning, when the tap! ; , were turned and no. water came. xHB* Dominion was referred to for the explanation, . anil it was not a cheering one. The main between AVaiiim and % city had sprung a leal;, and'tho water lnxn been cut oft"pending ; repairs. .A 1: day ' of' burning, breathless weather, and no water, was not a! pleasant outlook. did'not- turn 'out quite as badly .as that, for most' people .were able to get . somehow just enough water for tho daily purpases of cleanliness and cooking on a somewhat reduced scale. Also, tljere ivas unusual ' tronblo and labour , in tho getting of tho , "wafer'. lirtowi), tho water was- tho chiel '■ , topis (if conversation, and citizens freely compared their experiences, and discussed thf ] probabilities of tho situation. Tho Higher Levels. The Karori supply, which is ordinarily restricted to. tlnv higher, levels, had to bo conducted into the niains fnr the whole .city, with (lie,inevitablci consequence that-, whilo tho Hats and lower s!ape,s'foit 110 difference, thorp was not enough pressure to giro tho residences"on tho higher, levels any Consequently, places liko Brooklyn, Aro Streot, Maraania, Crcsceijt, and the district abort) Wellington Terrace, Wadcstqwn, and Goldio's lirao were without a water, supply from tlm morning up till after five o'clock in tho (ironing. Tho inconrenienco in soma cases was very great. Personal ablutions had to be curtailed, washings of this-and that had to bo postponed, and such water a3 was absolutely necessary had to ho fetched— often from considerable distances. Some peo'plo nriiiihged to get a jugful from their taps lirst thing in tho morning, and made it last as long as possible, lietween fiyo iml j. six o'clock, tho water began to (low feebly from tho taps, ami an hour later it was running as strongly as usual.Tl|b Loss to Karori Reservoir.. Mr. Morton told a reporter that tho loss of I wator to tho Wainui-o-mata reservoir caused by the break would amount to littleor nothing. As regards, tho Karori rpsorvoir, however, the position was serious. About a fortnight's supply 011 tljo ordinary basis had boon consninetl in one day, Consequently, tho situa- ' tion was such as to canst! genuine anxiety. In conversation \vith>Mr. H. F. Allen, wl'io visited Karori on Monday in company with sovor'al members of tho Wellington Provin- s cial Industrial Association, of which lie is secretary, a Dominion reporter loarnt that the only , water to bo seen flowing into tho Karori reservoir is a' trickle so tiny that the channel it has cut for itself in tho drie(B mud of tho side of tho reservoir is only about two inchos wide. This driblet has only been running since last Sunday. It is tho overflow from one of tho valves in (ho new dam. Behind tho dam the water is 25 foot deep, and covers several acrcs. Ultimately : its area will bo eight acres, and its capacity 65,000,000 gallons, as compared with tha 40,000,000 of the old reservoir, and the J 20,000.000 capacity of Wainui. In tho mean- '■

( timo, however, the-uncompleted dam is holding back-water that would'otherwise flow into the, existing 'Karori rosorvoir and bo available for "consumption. The. Householder's : Duty. • •' The, moral of it 'all "ought not .to need ; repeating: It has ;becn : ;'set : foi , .th repeatedly' in print during tho past few days. It should be .obvious to everyone possessed of a spark of ftommon sense or public spirit. - -It is. of course, be careful; of' tho water. Gardens should;;' noyr ,bo !■ vwatored. ' only ■ with w-astb ' liquids, thafr would .otherwise be thrown ' away.' 'Mqst of us have never found out how; ■ much may be, done, with how little water. It is quite an interesting eiperimental. study. Tank Supply at kelburne. , A Kelburne resident who does not yet enjoy connection', with the Karori reservoir, the pipe from which'comes, to within about twenty yards of his honso, states that 'the water-in his two tanks, is now veiy low, and he : has; ,to. husband it .iyith ! the care. He finds; it to do this, because the . water is' very Warm and nasty,'.contairiing in-: 'from; its long !' presence' in- .the ' tanks _ which are not removed by' filtering; He will be very glad: when he can'. wash more extravagantly.- and driiik water that is,not actually, nnpleasant.; Other Kelburne residents,'are in the,same position.", -,