A CHRISTMAS BOX

Evening Star, Issue 20314, 24 October 1929, Page 2

A CHRISTMAS BOX

REPORT ON WATER SUPPLY READY BY DECEMBER 23 LEE STREAM PROJECT MENTIONED As a Christmas box this year Dunedin citizens should have the city engineer’s report on the city water supply. At the meeting of the City Council last night the Mayor (Mr It. S. Black) stated that, perturbed by the statements made regarding the long-awaited report, ho had approached the engineer and had been informed that the report would be available by December 23, or possibly earlier in the month. A lengthy statement on the general position of the water supply was made by Cr W. Begg (chairman oi the Water Committee) , who thanked citizens for the way in which they had assisted to conserve the supply during the present dry weather. He also stated that he considered the engineer had too much to do, and proposed to move that the official be relieved of other work to allow the water report to be finished, but this course was rendered unnecessary he cause of the action the mayor had taken. Cr Begg said that since the last meeting of the council considerable interest had been shown in tho_ water_ supply, and a good deal of criticism, just-and unjust, had been levelled not only against the department, but also against the council. He would like to express the department’s appreciation of the way in which citizens had taken' notice of the request made at the last meeting of the council to conserve the water supply as much as possible. By the assistance of the citizens the con sumption had been reduced in a marked way, a chart showing that the drawoff was much lower on the days following the issue of the warning. COST OF LEE STREAM. What was the council doing to augment the water supply? That was the question, said Cr Begg, that was always being asked. He would like to remind councillors that nearly nine years ago, on March 20, 1921, the Lee Stream proposal was 1 put before the ratepayers. They all knew the result —it*was turned down. The estimated cost of that work at the time was between £150,000 and £160,000. Cr Tapley: To bring in water from Lee Stream ? Cr Begg: Yes. If the council is likely to again fall back on the same scheme it will cost at least one-third more than tho estimate given on the last occasion. Since then we have been forced to conserve our water supply, and in June, 1921, tho work of enlarging the southern reservoir was commenced. This ultimately gave us an increase in the storage capacity by a little's over 40,000 gallons. Various other works have been carried out during the last eight or nine years, these having the object of using our present catchments to their fullest and best advantage. COST OF OTHER WORKS. A return had been made by the city treasurer, said Cr Begg, setting out the details of the works carried out by the water department during the eight or nine years and also the total cost of the various works which would complete the improvements. The total cost of works during the past eight years amounted to £127,620. Renewals authorised amounted to £29,600, and they would bo put in hand immediately the pipes arrived here. Ho felt sure the council would agree that the figures were fairly substantial, and that it had been proved tho committee had at least attempted to do something to conserve the water supply. The figures ho had given did not include ordinary maintenance. Quite recently a proposal had been approved by the council for bringing in an additional pipe line from Sullivan’s Dam and that now awaited the approbation of the ratepayers. Cr Begg went on to state that a list had been prepared by the city engineer giving the total cost of the carrying out of the various works, as follows: Enlarging Southern Reservoir, £59,000. _ . . Reports on underground supply by J. M. Stewart and Dr Benson, £122 10s. , Cost of anew intake at Ross Creek, £3,470. . , . Renewal of North End reticulation, £9,415. Land purchased, £4,907. City extensions during last ten years, £43,762. Anderson’s Bay high-level supply, £5,207. Increased capacity of Powder Creek pump, £912. Renewal of spillway at Ross Creek, £725. THE LONG-AWAITED REPORT. “ Now we are anxiously _ awaiting the arrival of the , city engineer’s report and recommendations, ’ said Cr Begg. “ The council has now reached the stage when it must instruct the officer concerned which report it wants first. Many duties have been forced upon him, .including the combined flood report and the water report. Now we must state which . is the most urgent and important,” Cr Begg went on to state that he had previously entered a protest against the increased duties thrust upon the city engineer to the detriment of the water report. No

doubt many of the works the engineer had had were urgent—for example there was the report on the head works at Waipori. There were many other reports, however, which coaid well have stood over till the water report was completed. He was prepared, at a later stage, to offer a motion regarding the matter. At the next meeting of the committee he proposed to submit a minute dealing with the proposed new pipe line scheme, which, if approved by the _ Finance Committee, would be hastened so that full advantage could be taken of the present catchment at the earliest possible moment. DISCONCERTING STATEMENTS. Or Clark, who seconded the motion for the adoption of the committee’s report, said he thought the whole of the council had been disconcerted by the statement of the chairman. He hud seen an official statement that the longawaited report would be before the council without fail at the next meeting or, at the outside, within three weeks. Now they were told it was doubtful that they would get the report unless instructions were given by the council regarding other _ work. He thought everyone recognised that too _ much work had been put upon the city engineer, and the time had come when he should be relieved of some. OUTSIDE ENGINEERS SUGGESTED Cr Clark suggested that, as had ben done on previous occasions, two outside engineers should bo employed to report on the water supply. Their report would go before the city engineer, and ho could express his opinion on the proposals. He had been alarmed by Cr Begg’s statement that the cost of the' Lee Stream scheme would now be a third more than it was eight years ago. On the previous occasion prices had been at their peak—it was just after the war. Cr Begg: “No.” Cr Clark said that other prices received by the council were very considerably higher then than now. THE MAYOR’S ACTION. The Mayor (Mr R. S. Black) said ho had been so upset by what he had heard at the last council meeting that he had sent a minute to the city engineer asking when the water report would be ready. He had taken it upon himself to say that everything must go before the water report, and that if help were needed the council would give it. The engineer had replied stating that the report would be ready by December 23, and that it might possibly bo ready by December 9. WATER RUNNING TO WASTE. Cr Wilkinson asked what was the immediate outlook with regard to tho water supply. It the proposed new pipe line at Sullivan’s dam were in operation there might be no difficulty. Water was running to waste there. There was water at their doors, and they were not making use of it. Tho Mayor said tho _ application for the loan for the new pipe line was before the Government Loans Board that day. MONEY COULD HAVE BEEN SAVED. Cr Shaddock said that had tho Leo Stream proposal been carried nine years ago they would have been saved many thousands of pounds and a groat deal of worry. (Hear, hear.) The Mayor said it might have meant extra, rates. Cr Shaddock repeated that thousands of pounds and much worry would have been saved. He was also surprised it should be said that tho Lee Stream work would now cost a third more. THE PRESENT POSITION. Cr Begg, in reply, said that they were at present just about holding their own with tho water supply. Tho draw-off was increasing from Ross Creek, but an Increased supply was being brought in from tho Silverstroam by means of the operation of tho Bowder Creek pump. Ross Creek was certainly falling, but if the department had the facilities to turn some of the surplus now running to waste from Sullivan’s dam into Ross Creek it would be quite all right. The department still had another intake up its sleeve. That was Burns Creek, in the Leith Waitati catchment area; but it woulo not be brought in this year, because there was no occasion to do so. Cr Shacklock had said they would have been saved much worry and expense had the Lee Stream proposal been accepted. _ The enlarging of the southern reservoir had cost them £60,000, and another £60,000 would have given them Lee Stream. The Mayor; I question it very much. Cr Begg replied that the engineer’s estimate at the time was £120,000 for tho Lee Stream project. He had the impression that if the same scheme again cams before the ratepayers it would at least be augmented by the amount he had already mentioned. The report of tho committee was adopted.