Evening Post. FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 1881. THE IMPENDING WATER FAMINE.

Evening Post, Volume XXI, Issue 76, 1 April 1881, Page 2

Evening Post. FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 1881. THE IMPENDING WATER FAMINE.

The water question in Wellington has become one of very serious import. It is no longer the quality of the water supplied to the citizens that is the snbject of complaint. That is bad enough certainly, at the Thorndon end of the town particularly, owing no doubt to the greater length of pipe it has te traverse, and the increased accumulation of sediment. But if the quality is not all that conld bo wished, that can bo improved by straining, boiling, or filtering ; or, still better, by the use of all three processes successively. Unhappily , however, there iB no known method by which a given quantity of water can be expanded to double its volume while retaining its fluid form. If the supply is insufficient, it can only be increased by obtaining' an additional supply from some other source. This is the process now in course of adoption in Wellington, only, unluckily, the Wainuiomata supply, which we believe will be practically unlimited in quantity aa well as excellent in quality, cannot be available before next summer at the earliest, and, in the meantime, Wellington is imminently threatened with a water famine of a very alaiming nature. The depth of water in the main reservoir had diminished to 20 feet yesterday, but as the last few feet at the bottom — oeing useless, owing to settlement of mud and ddbris — are not reached by the pipes, the actual depth really available for use is only about 15 feet, so that when the depth has further decreased to that extent, the reservoir will be absolutely empty for all practical purposes. At the present rate of diminution, this formidable situation will be reached in little more than a week from this date, unless rain— and that not merely showers, but a copious and continuous downpour — comes, in the interim. The soil is bo thoroughly parched that a rainfall Muoh, under ordinary circumstances, would have a Substantial effect in replenishing the resetvoir will now exercise hardly any appreciable influence. There is no disguising the fact that the reckless and unchecked destruction of the natural bush on the hills surrounding Wellington has already had the effect invariably produced in other conntries, of seriously diminishing both the rainfall and its retention by the soil. It is clearly ascertained that the average volume of water flowing along tho stream by which the reservoir is fed has diminished by quite onehalf as compared with that at the time tho Wellington waterworks were first commenced—that is to say within about seven years. This is very striking and tangible evidence of what we may expect in the future if the present wholesale denudation of our hills and mountains continues, and the hitherto-neglected question of New Zealand Forestry must ere long assume a position of grave and national importance. On this occasion we can only direct attention, in passing, to its intimate bearing on the grievous scarcity of water from which we are about to suffer. Had not the stream been thus wasted through the denudation of its watershed of the bush with which it was formerly clothed, there is little doubt that our present water supply would have proved ample for all existing requirements, excepting, perhaps, the use of water-engine 3, and, at any rate, even in this dry season the reservoir would probably have easily held out until the first winter rains set in. Unfortunately, however, although those " ifs " may, and should, read us a wholesome lesson for the future, they do not in the least degree help us in our immediate emergency. The query often has been put — Why have not the same steps been taken this year as were two yearß ago, when there was a scarcity? Then, for a considerable period, the water supply was cut off entirely excepting during two hours in each day. It has been explained to us that, apart from the extreme inconvenience cansed to the public by this proceeding, it was not found efficacious in procuring the saving that was expected. In literally hundreds of instances people inadvertently left their water taps open after finding the supply was " off," and immense quantises were thus wasted. Several persons indeed had their houses completely flooded out in this way, and sustained heavy loss, while the escape of water was incredibly large. A still more serious drawback was the danger involved in case of fire. Several rather extensive fires have occurred during that period, and in no single caao could the water be brought on until after vory great delay, amounting in one or two cases te more than half an hour. Various explanations were offered of these disastrous delays, but none were quite conclusive in proving them due to exceptional circumtances, and it seems now to be accepted as inevitable that, with tho larger extent of our water-pipe reticulation at the present time, half an hour must elapse before the mains could be filled, in case of a sudden alarm of fire, if the water were turned off. This obviously implies a grave peril in a wooden city such as ours, and is a strong argument against cutting off the pressure if it can possibly be avoided. There is another respect in which we are at a disadvantage now as compared with formerly. Two years ago there was a low-pressure source available from the Polhill Gully stream. Now, however, all the banks of that stream are so far built over that it is converted into little better than an open sewer, and the water is utterly unfit to be turned into the mains for general use. It must be admitted that the facts we have mentioned form an ample excuse for what otherwise might appear dilatory action on the part of the city authorities in refraining so long from limiting the supply. On the other hand, the rapid diminution of the supply and the uncertainty when it will bo replenished by abundant rainfalls, render it absolutely necessary that stringent steps should at once be taken to husband our small remaining store, and it has therefore been decided to cut off the water for 22 hours daily out of the 24, leaving it on only between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., so as to reduce to a minimum the chance of inadvertent waste, while the new mains laid down in readiness for the Wainuiomata works will be kept charged with water, so as to enable full pressure to be quickly obtained in case of fire. The City Engineer, Mr. Baird, seems thus to have done the best that could be done under the present embarrassing circumstances, and it must be remembered that if the citizens will display sufficient patriotism to abstain from all waste of water, the normal flow of the stream ought to be sufficient for our ordinary daily requirements. That normal flow is even now in its unprecedentedly attenuated condition about 124,000 gallons per diem, whioh, were there no waste or loss, would give over five gallons per head of the population. Seven years ago we believe the minimum flow was some 300,000 gallons. This will show the extent to which it has decreased. The " moral " to be deduced from all this is fourfold:— lst. That the destruction of bush on the hills must be stopped at all costs, and tree-plant-ing carried on so far as practicable on the bare spots. 2nd. That the Wainui-o-mata works should be pushed on with the utmost possible expedition, bo that we may not bo again subjected to a similar water famine. There is plenty of labor available just now, and no time shonld be lost in pressing on the work. 3rd. That the Wellington citizens should exercise the utmost care and selfdenial in the use of the present limited supply, and to avoid waste. 4th. That special caution Bhould be used against fire, seeing the danger of its proving inextinguishable owing to scarcity of water or delay in bringing on the pressure, which might enable a very trifling blaze to develope into a, disastrous and destructive conflagration. To all these considerations we direct special and earnest attention.