The Evening Star WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 1921.

Evening Star, Issue 17766, 14 September 1921, Page 4

The Evening Star WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 1921.

The dry season is causing anxiety to farmers and graziers. An

The Water Supply.

iIICID rIUVi exceptionally mild winter, with very little snow, is being followed by aspring

bereft of the usual sou’-wcsters bringing copious rain. The Maoris are predicting drought; Mr Clement Wragge has expressed the satnei opinion; and the weather-wise point to tho drought in Britain last summer’, and dolefully remind one another that there is usually a marked similarity between a New Zealand summer and tho immediately previous one in Western Europe.' It is therefore no wonder that Dunedin citizens are already getting anxious about the city water supply, and it is disclosing no secrets to say that this anxiety is shared by the corporation authorities. Up to last year the total storage capacity of our reservoirs—Ross Creek, Sullivan darn, and the southern reservoir —was slightly below 107,000,000ga1. Past experience has shown that this- is not enough, because in only a moderately prolonged dry spell the delivery, of the streams feeding these reservoirs falls far below tho consumption, and the storage is quite inadequate to ruuko up the difference after a very few weeks. This year the position is worse, because tho storage is lessened by nearly 20 per cent, owing to the southern reservoir being out of commission during its enlargement. At present both Ross Creek reservoir and Sullivan dam are full, and tho former is being “ nursed ” as much as possible for obvious reasons. It is the plain duty of ratepayers to assist the corporation officials as much ns possible by avoiding waste, or even the copious use, of water while tho rainfall continues under requirements. Just a year ago tho City Engineer, in his report, covering those of Messrs Couston -and Williams on the city water supply, recommended tho enlargement of tho southern reservoir from its then capacity of twenty-two million gallons (or twenty million gallons, as he estimated it, because of silt deposits) to seventy-five million gallons. He also recommended obtaining a report from a geologist on the subject of underground water. This latter was done, Mr Stewart recommending preliminary tests, costing about £4,000, in the Silverstrcam gravels adjacent to the race, the complete scheme, if tho tests proved satisfactory, to cost about £20,000. The council did not act on this report, even so far as making the test. (Neither did the council entertain another proposition concerning artesian water .very much nearer hand, deeming the conditions proposed in this connection as unacceptable. Thus, after all the investigation and long controversy, the only remedy put in hand was enlarging the southern reservoir. The council knew at the time that the sunply would be bereft of this storage during this anproaching summer for certain, and probanly the following summer also. The water which the Silver-stream race delivers runs direct into the main at present, and there are obvious drawbacks in regard to its quality—quite apart from possible quantity—because of tho unavoidable cutting out of the settling process. The authorities are contemplating working two shifts instead of one to speed np completion. Why not make it three, as ex-Cr Crust lately suggested? It would provide most useful work lor the unemployed, especially as there is a most regrettable hitch —we hope not an insuperable one—■ jo the matter of the Port Chalmers rail*

way deviation work. But with all possible expedition Dunedin must face tho coming summer minus the storage of the southern reservoir.

Some eighteen months ago a poll was taken on a proposed loan of £162,000 to bring the Leo Stream water into tho southern reservoir, Tho corporation estimated that this work would take five or six years, two years of which would be occupied in.piercing tho abandoned tunnel for . the superseded hydro-electric power schema. If the ratepayers had authorised that loan they would still bo waiting for the water, now and for some years to come. Tho authorities still believe that the Leo Stream mast eventually bo brought in, and arc atfprosent awaiting the results of purity tests which Dr M'Kibbin has been periodically making. Wo disagree with the council and its officials about the desirability of bringing in the Lee Stream for reasons which we have many times stated. But wo are convinced that Dunedin needs a big feeder to its system in the shape of a perennial stream. Tho Deep Stream is free from the objections wo have urged against the Leo Stream, and the practicability of using the former source (whose catchment area is 30 per cent, larger than that of Lee Stream, and whoso water is purer) should bo investigated without delay.