WATER SUPPLY

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 94, 22 April 1931, Page 10

WATER SUPPLY

WORK REVIEWED

A GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENT

SECURITY FOE EUTUEE

The following review of the activities of the City and Suburban Water Supply Board was given at its meeting to-day by the chairman (Mr. G. A. Troup):—

"The Wellington City and Suburban Water Supply Board was constituted by Act "of Parliament in 1927, which Act also vested in . the Wellington City Council an area "of approximately 67j160 acres for the purposes oi! water supply, forestry, etc. An additional area of 4049 acres was subsequently purchased from Messrs. T. Price and Company, making a total area under the: board's control of approximately 71j209 acres. WHAT HAS BEEN DONE. ' "Since the taking over of this large area of afforested land a complete system of control, securing the area against' damage, has been instituted. Wild life,is now controlled. Bestrictions are placed upon camping parties. Supervision is secured of all milling operations, a selected area has been set aside for forestry purposes, and the whole of the area has been placed under the control of a properly qualified forestry officer working under the City Engineer. A forest working plan for the administration and control of the water collection areas has been prepared, and has been approved by the Commissioner of State Forests. AFFORESTATION. '■ "Under this plan 255 acres of logged ove?'forest'.has been interplanted with seedling timber trees as the nucleus,of a second timber crop. Further than experimentation this may be "considered the pioneering effort in New Zealand to place indigenous forests upon a permanent economic producing basis. A hundred and. ten acres of once grassed but largely fern and scrub covered, and generally deteriorating,.land has been, planted with Douglas fir. .The Hutt fire district has been constituted for the protection' of the water collection areas. Price's block 0f'4050 acres, the key. area in the control of the Little Akatarawa water shed, has been purchased. A transfer of land which rounds out the Little Akatarawa water shed has been arranged; by which: the owners, J.Odlin and Co., cede the land and timber on the area for equivalent timber and a tramway right iv another part, of the Akatarawa block.

"As. soon as possible a complete investigation was made of all the potential water supply, sources controlled by the board, arid a comparison made of tho possibilities of , developing one of these as against a further development of the Orongororigo or' Wainui system. Ah exhaustive report was brought down by the City Engineer recommending the development of the Hutt Biye'r, providing all the suburban bodies then represented in the ,board would require water on- the : completion of the construction scheme. The,report was formally, approved and adopted by the board, and the City Engineer was instructed to put in hand, the construction survey of. the Hutt River scheme. Subsequently, however, Petone .and Lower Hutt. decided as a ineasu-re of economy to further develop their artesian sources ,and withdrew from tho board, thus upsetting, the basis, on which the report was adopted. THE SECESSIONS. ;

"Following .the secession of the two local bodies from the .board a further examination -of the potentialities: was! iria.de by. the ;City Engineer with a view to securing a more' economical scheme: forthose bodies fstill, remaining in the "board.' Wellington's position, however, was rather peculiar, insofar as the city was secure, in its water supply for a number of,years to come, except during periods of extreme dryness, so that any scheme for utilising the artesian water in the Hutt Valley,/if an economical proposition for the local bodies in the Valley,-was equally so for the City of Wellington,-. which would be required to use the water only during short periods of the year. It became necessary, therefore, to compare this system of water supply as a temporary measure against the institution of a gravity development from any of the board's sources or from the watersheds at prosent controlled' by the Wellington City Corporation only. When the .trial'bore, now being put down in the Hutt Valley is completed, it will enable a decision to be made on this point. "Having in mind the fact that practically the whole of the streams under the board's control will, in the future, be. used for .water supply purposes, the board desmod it necessary to put in hand.a survey defining the .boundaries of the watershed of the Hult Valley and including the land which will be necessary to. conservo the watershed in the upper roaches from contamination. This survey has now been completed, bufc no steps have been taken to actually acquire the area of land.' Regular rainfall and stream gaugings are being taken and recorded properly for future reference. | FOR TfiE FUTURE. Mr. Troup said that he was convinced that the time was not far away [when the whole of the operations of the board would be-put ito effect to conclude a great major gravitation water supply scheme, not only for those who had remained in. the scheme> but for those who have seceded in the meantime. He thought that the board would do well to bear that in mind in its future-actions, and the Wellington City Council also., Any small alleviation that might be secured from an. artesian supply iii the Hutt Valley might not last many years. The time was not far off when they would have to tackle the big job, which, in the long run would be the most satisfactory. Ths work that had been done had been very valuable to the whole of the area. To secure that, great watershed; was an accomplishment which would be more appreciated in the future, especially by the greater combined population that would come. Ho need say nothing of the attitude of the the two bodies which had seceded. Their withdrawal was very short-sighted. The bodies .which had remained in were not going to be subjected to any serious financial embarrassment, their payments not exceeding £20 per annum, a remarkably low insurance against the future. The bodies which had withdrawn, had been lacking in vision. There was no need for. the board to worry about that, as it-could' get along very well by itself .He appreciated the work the board had done, and acknowledged the assistance members had given him. Mr. P. Bobcrtson, Mayor of Upper Hutt, as one of the earliest members of-the board, expressed the board's appreciation of Mr. Troup's individual services. Ho .considered that AVellington was exceedingly fortunte in having such a water supply at its back door. Ho wished to point out, iv view of the criticisms made, that the board had been fully justified both in the appointment and choice of its forestry officer.

Councillor H. A. Huggins, and Mr. "W. Dyer (Hutt County) also made eulogistic references to the chairman. Mr. Troup paid a tribute to the services of Mr. Robertson, Mayor of Upper Hut.f, Mr. Joiips, Mayor of Eastbourne, rind nI he il' retiring members of tho ljo;ml.' ■ ' ■ '