HAWERA WATER SUPPLY.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 8 December 1925, Page 4

HAWERA WATER SUPPLY.

COMPLAINT AS TO QUALITY. BOROUGH ENGINEER’S REPORT. The following report on the quality of the Hawera borough water supply, of which complaint was recently made in a letter to The Star, has been prepared for presentation to the council by Mr. John Sturrock, borough engineer : On the 2nd inst. complaints reached me about the condition of the water. Next day Mr. Rowe went out to the intake and cleaned out the settling tanks. There was comparatively little accumulation of sand, but what there was had a foul smell, due to vegetable matters. Examination of the river showed the presence of vegetable matter. As a rule the water is fairly clear. At certain periods, due to temporary conditions, the growth of vege_ table' matter may be abnormal. The same class of phenomenon _ie evidenced during epidemics, when climatic conditions favour the abnormal growth of some classes of bacteria. During; the autumn months in America there occur fermentative changes in the silt lying at the bottom of the reservoirs. At such periods the quality of the water often gives trouble. As a rule such phenomena do not continue for long. Meantime* the tanks have been, cleaned and the tunnel is being scoured out. A year or two ago I discovered that the tunnel had been* boarded across partly, presumably for the purpose of allowing silt to settle in the tunnel instead of in the tanks. This was quite futile, when one considers that there is a special scourvalve for the purpose of scouring out the tunnel. I removed the board and gave instructions to Mr. Phipps that the tunnel was to he scoured out at least once a week. Foul matters should not be allowed to accumulate in the tunnel. It should be kept clean by' scouring. This is "obvious. It can be done without in the least interfering with the supply, as the tanks hold more than enough to permit it to be done. Generally speaking the water of the Kapuni is much better than most around here. With filtration it could he made very fine indeed. Unfortunately, filters consume pressure, and we have no pressure to spare". Some day, when financial conditions permit and the dupli_ cation scheme permits, it will be possible to provide filters, and I have provided for this. Although the borough, mains were scoured out recently, I' have given instructions have_ this done again. Probably the' conditions will not last for long. At their worst they are trivial compared with what I have* seen years ago in the Wellington supply; but since then improvements have been made there.