GREYMOUTH WATER SUPPLY

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1060, 24 February 1911, Page 9

GREYMOUTH WATER SUPPLY

(From Our Special Conospondont.i With the exception of one, or two slight showers, no rain has fallen in Groymouth since the beginning of tho year. Consequently the water supply irom the municipal reservoir situated on Omoto ltoad has been, for some weeks, taxed to its utmost.

When" the waterworks .were inaugurated the. populatifiil ] veVy much' less thini it is'nott, and,; in bur-' suahco.'Of a somewhat .shoi tsighfiHl' policy, the borough authorities apparently" made little allowance, for the natural .expausWii of the populfttioti.'.which, ivilniu tllo pist few years, lias bteu.'fouSideniblo.' Ulakctown, containing'soß or GOO people, 'and Which .is practically a new suburb, and Colxicn, oh the north side of , the Grey ■lliver,' with a population of ' TOO, but which forms 110 part of Grevmonth at all, arc both being supplied with water from the Omoto reservoir. Is it any wonder then that the supply has run short? On February 18 a depth of only tj was recorded, and, should a fivo break out in the town, the .brigade would be powerless to arrest its, progress. It is well known that the pumps in use .pre not powerful enough, and, as a serious break lias occurred to one because of (he sinking of the concrete floor of tho station, it is impossible 'to keep up the requisite supply of water. And yet soine members of the. Borough Council would hold tho engineer responsible, both lor the prevailing drought and the lack of foresight displayed by' the' original. dosigners of the pumping-station. ;• . " Each set of pumps should bo capablo of adequately supplying the town, oven if its population were 10,000. The plant should really bo a .steam one. If it were, all detritos, waste coke, and other refuse could bo utilised for fuel, and a largo saving to the ratepayers bo thereby effected. Few citizens seem to know that Inst year it cost some .£375 to supply the engines with,, gas. It is thus obvious that, in. order to enable the gas department to show a satisfactory balance-sheet at tho end of the year, other departments are being hampered. Tho fact should be mentioned, that in the original estimate for the pumping machinery, basing the population at 12,000, one 'engine was supposed to pump all the water needed, which was estimated nt 40 • gallons per head, whereas now the'consumption is quite 100 gallons per head daily. ~ . COBDEN FIRE BRIGADE. • Tho township of Cobden has formed a fire brigade, and recently a_ very successful danco was held in aid of the* funds. . The • large hall' was filled, with dnncers, who thoroughly enjoyed themselves. During an interval, 3lr. Gem-go Levin thanked those present for their attendance. and thereby assisting the lire brigade to procure tho necessary apparatus. Among tho visitors was tho Mayor of Groymouth.