WATER POLICY

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 85, 11 April 1933, Page 10

WATER POLICY

DIVERSION OF LOAN?

STATEMENT BY MAYOR

ARTESIAN SUPPLIES

In addition to the usual issues to be placed before them at the civic elections next month, electors of tlio .city ,will bo asked to express an opinion of'the City Council's proposal to divert ,a portion of the balance of the 1920 waterworks loan to a number of necessary developments other than; were listed when the loan was authorised thirteen years ago. The Mayor, Mr. T. C. A. Hislop, today discussed the proposals in some detail; Mr. Hislop said that of the original loan, raised for an additional) supply from the Orongorongo, a sum of £113,000 is yet unexpended, for certain important amendments of plan during tho construction of the Orongorongo system had enabled, large savings to be made. "The council, realising the necessity of securing the balance for general waterworks purposes in the future,' has recently taken steps to procure legislative sanction to effect this/it being the intention to carry out improvements to the water supply system as these-be-come from time to time necessary,'.' said Mr. Hislop. "Though, legislative sanction to the diversion has been given, a poll on the matter is being taken because I think that the ratepayers should have the right to vote on. proposals of this nature. Had the scheme beens brought forward as a new idea, without the- money being available, the ratepayers would have been consulted on the question, and there is, to my mind, no difference in principle when the mo.ney is available in a surplus on another loan, when it is desired to expend that money for purposes other than originally approved. The work is necessary, continued Mr. Hislop, and it is particularly desirable that . necessary works should be done at the present time when so many men are unemployed. By doing thework.now we not only do something necessary for the safety of the water supply system of the city, but we will help substantially in relieving the unemployment situation." . . . , . . NEED FOR ADDITIONAL SUPPLIES. The Civic Commission, i said the Mayor, had inquired fully into the question of the adequacy of the city's water supplies and had made certain definite recommendations regarding tho insufficiency of the , present external supplies and the lack of service reservoir capacity throughput the ..city. Those and other recommendations made by the commission, considered in conjunction with reports made previously to the council, by the City Engineer, had resulted in the following proposals covering the expenditure of a portion of the £113,000 recently, authorised by legislation. , '. . . ' . j ■. ■ ■ ' .'■,•■-.:'.£' (a) Provision of additional supplies 37,120 (b) Additions to senrico reservoirs, . " ' extensions of- trunk: mains, and ■ additions to. reticulation:system.; . • 42,380 '.■'''■' £.79,500 Referring to proposal (a) Mr. Hislop recalled that some few years ago the City Engineer reported to tho City and Suburban Water Board that additional supplies would be required by tho city by 1934. At that timo the City and Suburban Water Board, comprised the local authorities of the Hutt Valley, Eastbournej iand part of the -'■ Hutt County. Since then, several of these bodies had withdrawn from the scheme and the financial'position had greatly altered. The' combination of those factors had ruled out the large developments proposed, but the need of an augmentation of the ' city supply remained. ■ . .. . ' . ■ ARTESIAN DEVELOPMENT. Investigations carried out by the City Engineer's Department, in conjunction with the Government Geologist,, into the posibilities of an artesian supply from the Hutt Valley had shown that a development of. such supplies would provide for the city's requirements for the next ten years at least in a very economical manner,, while the quantity of water obtainable was, excellent. - Compared with any possible scheme for an additional surface- supply for Wellington, the cost of an, artesian supply will be remarkably: low, said Mr. Hislop, in fact, the total cost would amount to only about what would.be one year's capital charges on the major schemes, suggested, when -the City and Suburban Water' Board considered-the engineer's report. ..:' In addition to the development of the artesian supply the. proposal included the construction1 of. a trunk feeding main bringing Karori, or Orongoroiigo water through Karori, direct into 'the business area of tho city, largely to-give increased protection against fire, and also to give an alternative supply to- the city area should, for any reason, the trunk mains from Wainui and Orongorongo bo thrown out, of commission. INADEQUATE SERVICE RESERVOIRS. Tho second proposal, said Mr. Hislop, covered, under tho headings of "additions to service reservoirs, extensions to trunk mains, and additions to reticulation system," expenditure 'Jo provide improved reticulation facilities and to give greater service reservoir capacity in various parts of tho city and suburbs. ' : Additional service reservoir'capacity was required a.t Wadestown, Karori, and .Brooklyn, and particularly. ia the first case an improvement upon the present position was necessary for the better service of the district, and at the same time substantial economies could be effected-as the present cost of pumping:could be avoided under the proposed new arrangement. ■ Greater capacity was required at Karori, said Mr. Hislop, to meet the demands of a suburb which had recently developed rapidly, and at Brooklyn the present capacity, provided in 1908, had been rendered altogether-inadequate by the increase in population.,. "Practically none of the suburbs enjoy the two days' margin.reedmmendol as a standard by the Civic Commission," said Mr. Hislop, "and at periods of maximum demand there is in cases only a few .hours' supply left." The other works proposed under the second section included a supplementary main to the wester^ suburbs, which are at; present dependent upon one 12-inch main. Should an interruption occur on this main considerable portions of the. area would be entirely without water, and the position was not made easier by the fact that portion of the main, laid in steel in the "days of the Miramar Borough, had now reached the limit of its useful life. As. regarded improvements to the general system or reticulation, said Mr. Hislop, little improvement had been made in the city itself since the system was laid down, and in the suburban areas development had proceeded so rapidly that increased supplies of water were very necessary. Insufficient water was available in certain localities to provide, in the opinion of the fire authorities, adequate protection for the properties concerned.

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