RUSTY WATER

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 137, 6 December 1930, Page 10

RUSTY WATER

CLEANING THE MAINS

It is likely that quite a few houseI holders will bo up in arms over the jrustiuess of the water in the city mains |in various'parts of the city, tut the explanation given to-day by Councillor E. A. "Wright, chairman of the "Works Committee of the City Council, makes it clear that .the mstiuess, caused by; the scraping out of old mains, is tra-. avoidable, and is temporary only. Tho supply will be considerably improved by the work carried out. ' "Some of the mains/ ' said Mr. Wright, "have been in position for a long time, and have been affected byinternal encrustation. The time has now arrived when this encrustation, should be removed, and a regular system of main cleaning has been instituted throughout the city. It is -the practice of the Waterworks Department, before isolating- a particular length of main for cleaning, to see that each householder affected is notified before the water is shut off, so that a minimum of inconvenience is caused. The pipes arc thoroughly scoured out before being put into operation again, but even so. the loosening of the iron deposit on the inside of the pipe results in some discolouration of the water for several' days after the main is put back into operation, but does not make the water in any way unsuitable for consumption. The cleaning of the pipes is quite unavoidable, and is not deleterious, but-every, care will be taken to reduce to a minimum the inconvenience caused to consumers." The scouring is effected by cutting the main in two places: a speciallydesigned cutter scraper is inserted and is forced through by the water pressure, slicing out the rust and restoring the pipe to its original working diameter. In extreme cases the encrustation has reduced the diameter of a three-inch cast-iron pipe to an inch or so. A day or two of discoloured water, followed by a full supply, is a. good deal better than a poor flow from the taps month after month.