CITY WATER SUPPLY

Evening Star, Issue 18255, 20 April 1923, Page 4

CITY WATER SUPPLY

HISTORY OF ITS PROGRESS. THE PRESENT POSITION. The Chairman of the Water Committee of the City Council (Cr W. Bogg), in addressing ratepayers at North-east Valley last night, reviewed the history of the water supply of Dunedin. Cr Begg said that the provision of a water' service for the city was initiated in 1864 by the formation of the Dunedin Waterworks Company, which was formed for the purpose of supplying the inhabitants of Dunedin and neighborhood with tiatm The company acquired water rights and* property on Boss Creek, and the construction of a reservoir and other works was commenced in August, 1866. This was completed and the water turned on to the city on December 9, 1868. Six years later it was thought desirable in the interests of the citizens to acquire the waterworks, and after prolonged negotiations the price of £114,247 was agreed upon, and the waterworks were formally handed over to the City Council on December 31, 1874. Two years lalcr the council, finding that the supply from the existing waterworks was becoming inadequate to meet the requirements of the city, was looking round for a further sup ply, and in 1877 Mr Edward Campbell laid before the council a project for procuring a supply from The Silverstream and its tributaries! This scheme was finally adopted in December, 1877, bud the race and reservoir were completed and the water turned on to the city on December 15, 1881. . , . , The boroughs in the south end oq the city were entitled by the Dunedin Water | Supply Amendment. Act of 1878 to a sup- ; ply of water from this source, and the j water was turned on to Caversham in j March, 1882, to South Dunedin in April, | 1883, and to St. Hilda in February, 1900. - Anderson Bay was also supplied from this source in February, 1911. and Green Island , in April, 1911. | Tho increasing needs of the. city ren- : tiered it necessary about the year 1900 to provide a supply wilh sufficient pressure to serve the higher parts of the city and the hill boroughs, and a scheme was adopted to bring in a high level supply from the upper waters of the Leith and to augment this source by conveying into the. Leith watershed the water from certain creeks which form tho upper waters of the Wai- ; tati River. The first portion of_ this was completed when Morrison's Creek and the Leith were turned into Ross Creek Reservoir in December, 1903, and the major portion of the scheme was completed when Williams’s Creek was turned into the Leith watershed in April, 1305. A service reservoir was necessary on this system to avoid drawing water from the creeks when discolored by rain, and the present Sullivan Service Dam was completed in June, 1916. Whiter was supplied to Maori Hill Borough from this system in November, 1906; to Roslyn in November, 1907; to Mornington in July, 1908; to North-east Valley in November, 1911; and to W.est Harbor in August, 1912. The capacity of the storage reservoirs at present was; Ross Creek, 50,000,000 gallons; Southern, 23.000. gallons.,, completed, 70.000. gallons; Sullivan Dam, 30.000. gallons. Service Reservoirs: Maori Hill, 2,750,000 gallons; Roslyn, 750,000 gallons; Mornington, 250,000 gallons. Total storage at present, 106,750,000 gallons; total storage when Southern Reservoir completed, 153,750,000 gallons.