The Gisborne Herald. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED “THE TIMES” GISBORNE, WEDNESDAY, AUG. 13, 1941. BOROUGH WATER SUPPLY

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20632, 13 August 1941, Page 4

The Gisborne Herald. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED “THE TIMES” GISBORNE, WEDNESDAY, AUG. 13, 1941. BOROUGH WATER SUPPLY

The action of the Borough Council in retaining Mr. Furkert to report on the question of the water supply has been more than justified by results. Mr. Furkert’s report is one of the most lucid and practical that has ever been submitted to the council and it leaves no real ground for criticism or for doubt as to the course that should be followed. He has presented the council with a solution of a problem that has exercised the minds of the public for many years and propounded a scheme which should ensure adequate water for an almost unlimited period. More than that, the scheme is one which can be completed for a figure which, considering the importance of the issue, is well within the means of the ratepayers. It remains now for the council to proceed without delay ' with the necessary formalities and then, unless there 'is any unforeseen obstacle, to embark upon the work and provide relief at the earliest possible moment. It is a matter for comment that within three months of its election the new council has been able to ..proceed so far with the major task that was entrusted to it. To some extent it has already justified the faith reposed in it, and if it shows the same initiative and expedition in prosecuting the work it will merit, and no doubt receive, the highest commendation of the public. Primarily, perhaps, Mr. Furkert’s conclusions are an endorsement of those who have so consistently advocated retention of a gravitation water supply in preference to the various alternatives which have been investigated and discarded. His report is also a striking tribute to the ability of Mr. Clapcott, whose proposals, in the main, have now been supported by possibly the most competent engineer in the Dominion. The council is fortunate in having the services of Mr. Clapcott and they will no doubt be used to the full in the work that lies ahead. The scheme which is so strongly recommended by Mr. Furkert provides for the utilisation of all the existing waterworks and the supplementation of the supply by the provision of additional storage capacity for 200,000,000 gallons. The project is almost as simple as it sounds. There is no experimenting with new methods or doubtful processes but adherence to well-tested principles of water supply. Nor do there appear to be any engineering problems. On the contrary, Mr. Furkert emphasises the dependability of the scheme and does not leave the slightest room to doubt its practicability. He has provided for every conceivable contingency and in the upshot provides the basis of a water supply which, as he says, will serve the borough for centuries to come.

Cost is not, of course, the paramount consideration in providing such an essential service, but Mr. Furkert’s scheme will be the more acceptable because of the fact that it is easily the cheapest that has been propounded. To augment the existing supply to the extent of 200,000,000 gallons—and the provision of an adequate supply must, of course, ;.be the foundation of any scheme —is : estimated to cost £40,000, which compares with an estimate of £50,000 to £60,000 for impounding only 60,000,000 gallons in the Te Arai valley. The annual charges on this expenditure, including the repayment of the loan within a reasonable period, would amount to £2OOO. That figure represents the cost to the ratepayers, of providing an adequate supply of water for many years to come. The extent of the added burden may be measured by the fact that it is equal to an addition to the rates of less than Jd in the pound, and is less than 20 per cent of the amount being provided by the borough this year towards the cost of the hospital. This, of course, is not the final expenditure, since the replacement of the pipe-line will have to be faced sooner or later and some cost may be incurred in maintaining the pressure in the mains, but these items would have to be dealt with regardless of the expenditure involved in increasing the supply. It is not necessary to review Mr. Furkert’s report in detail to appreciate its value and its thoroughness. He gives all the reasons leading up to his conclusions, and finally presents a complete scheme which leaves little room for argument The basis of it, as has been pointed out, is the assurance of an adequate supply at the headworks. Not only is the proposed supply adequate, but it looks many years ahead. The expenditure of £40,000 will provide sufficient water not only for immediate requirements but, with a normal increase in population and a continued abnormal consumption of water, for 50 years ahead. After that time, or should developments warrant it earlier, extensions could be made at comparatively little cost and none of the work at present proposed would be wasted. It must not be overlooked, of course, that once the supply problem has been dealt with there is still the question of distribution and this involves, primarily, the replacement and enlargement of the pipe-line and the checking of wastage within the borough. The pipe-line will be a costly undertaking, but it would have to be faced in any case and the figures presented by Mr. Furkert show that even when this work is done —and it need no), immediately be contemplated —Gisborne will still be securing comparatively cheap water. The borough at last has a water supply scheme which should satisfy everyone, and it only remains to get on with the job.