DRAINING THE HUTT. EXTENSIVE SEWERAGE WORKS IN PROGRESS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24, 28 July 1911, Page 11

DRAINING THE HUTT. EXTENSIVE SEWERAGE WORKS IN PROGRESS.

TROUBLES OF AN ENGINEER. There are few people, even among the residents of Lower Hutt, who realise the extensive nature of the drainage and Sewerage works in hand in that borough, and fewor si ill have any idea of the difficulties thai confront the engineering department hi cairying these works to a successful conclusion. The ratepayers, by reason of the fact (hat they have to ppy lates on two £10,000 loans which they have sanctioned, know that the work is in progress, and that it is costingmuch money, and many have already derived beneiit. But they are not aJI so well aware of the nature of the work. Of the two drainage systems now gener* ally ih vogue— known respectively as "separate" and "combined 1 '— lower Hutt embraces the first-mentioned, and provides for the carrying away to septic tanks of ordinary sewerage matter and waste water. Much of the Work, as already stated, has been completed, and the engiheer is now hurrying to completion what is designated as section 2. The work is being done by day labour, and employment is found for about fifty men. These are divided up into three gangs— two for the purpose of laying the main pipe?, white the other is busy making the house connections Ut tho completed portions, On& of the main gangs is employed in Bloom-field-crescent, where it has been working for some time. .These men will work round and connect with the other gang, at present in Knights-road. at Laing'sload by the Post Office. The work in Knight s-road is expected to make rapid progress, as._ tlw excavation is only oft deep, and 6in pipes are being laid. Before reaching Laing's-road, however, branch sections will be put down in Bunny-street and Stevens-road. When this is, done and the connection made, the men will return and complete the work as far as Sir. W. Knight's farm. Already in connection with this section pipes have been laid in Bellevue-road (thus completing work previously commenced), Bloomn'eld-terrace, and portions of Blcomfield-crescent and Knights-road. WATER-LOGGED GROUND. As stated before, the engineer is experiencing considerable difficulty in carrying out the" work, and one of the chief things he has to contend v with— and per haps the most serious— is the water? There is "water, water, everywhere." It oozes up even ihto the most shallow trenches, and, of course, the deeper the trench the more water there is to contend against. Just now, after the recent rains, much more water than usual is being met with, but in any case there is a necessity for incessant pumping, which is a costly operation. CLOSE TIMBERING NECESSARY., Another matter which is causing trouble is the treacherous nature of the ground worked. Having to cut through, mostly _ sand and silt, which so easily' caves in, it has been found necesaar/tO ( closely timber all the trenches, and this process occupies a great deal of time, besides interfering considerably with progress. The timbers, too, cannot be removed until tho trenches are almost refilled, making the operation very difficiilt in places. If taken out too soon the sides fall in, and big holes are left in the road. To avoid this the workmen have to be very careful. TWELVE FEET DOWN. The depth which it is necessary to go down is also considerable. The pipes which are being laid in Bloomfkld-cres-cent are at a depth of between 7ft, and Bft, but in on* portion of this road an excavation was made to a depth of as much as 12ft below the surface. Working at this depth presented many difficulties, and it was all the pumps could do to keep pact with the inrush of water. The pipeg were laid on a bed of shingle. Luckily there was not a very big stretch of this, as a little further on the road dipped again. OBSTACLES MET WITH. But water and treacherous ground are not the only things which tend to worry tha engineer and hig assistants, giving them mor& work, more anxiety. Their nice calculations are liable to be upset at any moment— all is so uncertain in laying the sewage drains of this description in such "country." Old drains, for instance, are constantly being encountered in all directions. These somt' times occasion a complete alteration of the carefully worked-out levels, f or it is necessary to go either underneath or over such obstacles. In Bloomfield-cres-cent a little time ago, an old drain was encountered which ran along the samecouTse as that set down for the new one. Therefore, the course of the new pipes had to be altered, and to do this about a score of pipes, already in position, had to be lifted and relaid. The engineer has to be prepared for all this sort of thing and for any emergency, for he n*Ver knows what he will come across next. In several places the drain has had to bo put through big concrete culverts, the sides of which have been pierced for the purpose. Then, again,_ the workmen have of tan come across big logs, old stumps, and knotty roote, deposited firmly there ages ago. One old stump in particular has given a great deal of trouble, and was eventually removed only after two days, during_ which several light charges of dynamite were applied. CONDITION OF THE ROADS. Naturally the roads in which these works are taking place are in a very bad condition, especially after the recent heavy rains. As each section is completed, however, the roads are metalled and put in order, and these, even in the weather experienced during the last few days, are in a remarkably good condition. The worst part of the work

is being done now— thfe worst part of th© year; but when the summer months come it is exported there will be nothing to complain about. In the meantime the engineer is refraining from repairing the roads or tho footpaths where the drains have not yet been laid. SATISFACTORY PROGRESS. Taking all the abo/c facts into consideration, it is the opinion of many that Mr. Roche is making splendid progress with the work under his charge, which should be all completed wpII within twelve months. Ifc will not be many months before the Mdoiul £10,000 loan is expended, and it is then expected that all the district will be served, and that no more money will be required for drainage, at least for a long time to come. The work is proving very costly, but it is considered that the expenditure is fully wart-anted by the benefit that will eventually accrue to the ratepayers, and to the borough as a whole.