WATER FOR THE CITY

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 117, 21 May 1925, Page 9

WATER FOR THE CITY

HOW THE SYSTEM HAS DEVELOPED

ADDRESS BY MR. J. M. MORICE

KAROIU, WAINUI, AND ORONGO

Rd-NGO.

An interesting survey of the development of the city's water supply system was given by Mr. J. M. Morice, engineer in charge of tho Waterworks and Drainage Department of the Corporation, while addressing members of the Philosophical Society last evening.

In the early days, said Mr. Morice, the sources of water supply were springs, streams, wells, and roofs of buildings. Water from these sources was liable to be polluted as population increased, and a report to the council in 1871 showed that much of the water from those sources in Wellington was far .from satisfactory. As far as he could learn the first water supply conveyed any distance by pipes in Wellington was taken by the Government from springs on their property in Jinakon road to serve their various buildings in Hill and Molesworth streets, and Lambton quay. In March, 1871, the Gity Council (constituted under the Municipal Corporations Act of 1870) considered a report of tho. City Surveyor, Mr. Nicholas Marchant. whose proposal was the first for a.really adequate supply for the city. It included the construction of a storage reservoir of 35 million S l Tionn P? dty at Karo". a tunnel about 1200 feet long to Polhill gully a service reservoir to hold 500,000 gallons and about 13J miles of pipes. The estimated cost of the whole work was £.17,358, but whether the work had been carried through for that sum he had been unable to ascertain; the minutes of the council did, however, show that the contractor had made claims for "extras" m respect of the service reservoir equal to the whole amount allocated by Mr - Marchant for its construction

STILL IN SERVICE. The works still itood, and were to-day used for the supply of the lower levels on the western side of the city, while the Karon supply was also used to increase the pressure in the rest of the city when the VVainui supply was unable to keep it as High as was necessary to reach the higher levels served by gravitation Apparently the Karori supply was sufficient for eight or-ten years, but it then oecamo: evident that some other supply was required, and the council's attention w S A d r lrec, ted to Wainni-o-mata. Tho late Mr. J. D. Baird, the then City Surveyor, designed and carried out the works which, with the Karori works, met the city demand for nearly thirty years. Mr. Baird's chief assistant was Mr. Thomas Ward, who is still in Wellington in the practice of his profession - I'or the time being the now aupply was ample and hydraulic lifts and motors Ipi all sorts of purposes, from coffee grinding to organ blowing," we re freely nstalled, and lor some time the street lamps were run by electric current generated by water from Wainui. As the city increased, however, it was found necessary to reserve the water for its legitimate uses.

R,, In • c Clty- Ene"'eer, Mr. R. S. .Kounthwaite, carried out improvements at ■Wa.inui by replacing a water race wiiicn uad given some trouble, by an extension of the main, and he also recommended the construction of a new reservoir at Wainui, an important alteration of the main and the acquisition of the catchment area at Karon. A poll nfect d UP °U the pr°P°sals '. but ™as ADDITIONAL STORAGE. By 1904 tho amalgamation of the surrounding boroughs nad made the need or increased water supply a matter of urgency and the new City Engineer, the late Mr. Morton, reported in similar fashion to Mr. Rounthwaile The ratepayers were kinder on that occasion and fine of the first authorised works was the building of the second Karori dam About the same time pumping stations were established for the supply of water to the higher levels. Later an additional storage at Wainui, recommended by lUr.^ Jiaird, took shape under Mr. Morton s direction in "the Morton dam " impounding 107 million gallons ' After referring to the mains leading to the city, Mr. Morice dealt with the Orongorongo scheme in detail, its variation from the scheme as first put forward, and the difficulties overcome in carrying it out. The proposal to brin" water from the Orongorongo, said Mr" Morice, did not originate with Mr' Morton. It waa proposed by Mr Baird iri the earliest days of the'Wainui scheme, "but the present scheme was very much larger than that proposed by Mr Band. j •