CITY DRAINAGE

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 71, 16 December 1933, Page 26

CITY DRAINAGE

The Main System HOW IT BEGAN An article on the sewage disposal system in Wellington, which appeared in our issue of December 6, has prompted “N.Z.C.E.” to recall the early history of the city’s main drainage scheme. In a letter to the editor he writes: —"In IS9O at the instance of the Mayor, Sir F. H. D. Bell (then Mr. Bell), the Wellington City Council appointed a drainage commission consisting of the late Mr. E'. Cuthbert, engineer to the drainage board, Christchurch, arid Mr. W. Ferguson, then engineer to the Wellington Harbour Board, to report on the sewerage of the city; they did so and recommended a scheme based on that advocated ■by the late Mr. H. P. Higginson, M.lnst., C.E. 1 1 “The City Council appointed Messrs. W. Ferguson and the late Mr. H. P. Higginson, M.M.lnst., C.E., as consulting engineers, and the late Mr, R. L. Mestayer, M.lnst., C.E., as drainage engineer to carry out the scheme, and it was commenced in 1893 and practically completed, with some modifications, in 1898, the total cost of the scheme being £174,060. Concurrently with the extension of the city, additions have been made to the original scheme, smaller separate schemes have been installed, and the sewage from the Miramar flats is discharged into the main outfall sewer of the original scheme. The Blain Ai'tery. “The main artery or intercepting sewer commences at the intersection of v illis and Dixon Streets, and follows the course of the streets generally to the south-west corner of the Basin Reserve, which it passes under, thence through private property to King and Drummond Streets. "The sewage from the high levels flows by.gravity into the intercepting sewer, and that from the low levels is forced up into it by the Shone ejectors, the whole of the sewage then flows on by gravity. Near Drummond Street a tunnel, about seven-eighths of a mile in length, commences, terminating at Duncan Terrace. Kilbirnie; the tunnel is about 130 feet below Travers Road near the top of Constable Street; From Dunean Terrace the outfall sewer runs to and along the Qlieen's Drive about, half a mile, thenee across the sandhills to the east side of Lyall Bay; the sea eoast is then followed to Hue-ti-Taka Point, near which the outfall into Cook Strnj.t is situated. The total distance from Dixon Street to the outfall is about 51 miles, and this part of the scheme was carried out in three contracts, costing about £40,000. "The sewage from the eity of Wellington (as then defined) was discharged into Cook Strait ou March 11. 1898.”