WATER SUPPLY OF THE CITY

Manawatu Times, Volume 61, Issue 44, 22 February 1936, Page 4

WATER SUPPLY OF THE CITY

Loan Proposals Explained BIGGER PIPE LINE AND ARTESIAN SUPPLY.

The loan proposals which are being placed before the ratepayers on Wednesday next for tho betterment of Palmerston North’s water supply were explained by the Mayor (Mr. A. E. Mansford) and €r. W. B. Cameron at a public meeting in tho Municipal Hall last night. Upwards of 30 attended. Stressing the necessity of a good water supply, tho Mayor said that the ratepayers had turned down in recent years several loan proposals for improvement. It was essential that the city should have a good supply for domestic, industrial, sanitation and firefighting purposes, yet there were times under the present position when the use of water had to be curtailed and the Terrace End area suffered from lack of pressure.

Since the original installation of the water reticulation, tho only major works undertaken had been the artesian scheme and tho laying of feeder mains within the city boundaries. During tho past 15 years the various councils had realised that, with the growth in population, the question of providing an increased supply required their attention and they had had several reports made. Arising from these, loan proposals were placed before the ratepayers in 1928 for £55,700, which included provision for building a portion of a new dam, additional filters, a 21-inch main from tho present dam to the Square and two feeder mains. These proposals were rejected by the ratepayers, but in 1930 proposals for augmenting the supply from an artesian source wero carried. The storage facilities at the artesian station were now being increased by the construction of an additional reservoir, the Work being financed out of revenue.

The May said that thorough investigations had been made regarding the supply available from 'l'iritca and steps had been taken to locate a probable dam site above the existing reservoir. Calculations showed that, with the storage proposed and tho conditions taken as for the worst six months’ drought for the past six years, the catchment area was suitable for 34,000 people using 100 gallons each per day. . The report of the engineers who had investigated the position regarding artesian wells in the city made it clear that there was ample artesian water available for present city requirements, and that bigger flows could be relied on if necessary. Their reports also mentioned that the utilisation of artesian water was intended to be an adjunct of the present gravitation supply. Dealing with the proposals that the council intends placing before the ratepayers, the Mayor said there were two. “The first,’’ he continued, “is for ail additional artesian supply to serve the Terrace End district. The scheme will involve an expenditure of £8260 and will provide for an artesian well reservoir of 300,000 gallons capacity, and electrically-operated pumps. If carried out, this scheme, acting in the capacity of a booster service, will greatly assist in maintaining adequate pressures in that area.

“The other proposal is the laying of a larger supply main in a very important section of the Tiritca pipe line and involves an expenditure of £14,300 for a length of two miles. The council’s attention has been drawn to this particular section, as' it consists of some of the earliest mains laid in connection with the water supply and is now consequently too small a capacity to meet the demand made upon it in times of heavy draw-off. “There arc times during these periods when the available pressure from the reservoir at Tiritca is reduced by an amount equal to the difference between the height of the reservoir aud the road level on Barber’s flat. The laying of the 21-inch main now proposed is a portion of the major scheme recommended to the council some years ago. ’ ’ “My advice to you,’’ the Mayor concluded, “is to vote for both proposals. It won’t increase the rates, because the present revenue coming in from the waterworks will meet interest and sinking fund.” Tiritea Development Urged. “Wc want good water, pure water and as much of it as we can get, ’ ’ said Cr. Cameron. The Tiritea, he continued, had been a very good servant of tho city for the past 30 years, but was still not fully developed. The pumping of water from the Manawatu would not be a satisfactory solution of the city’s problems, and the annual cost of pumping would be high. At the Heretaunga street artesian station tho cost of pumping was 2d per thousand gallons, £IOOO per year, whereas the cost at Tiritqa, apart from the caretaker’s wages, was nil. Additional storage was a necessity at Tiritea; more water was going to waste there than was pumped into the mains in the city. Only Jive times in 15 years had the water in the reservoir fallen below the lip of the dam, yet there had been no cause for alarm on any of those occasions. Eor practically three parts of the year water was running to waste there. The carrying of the proposal for increasing the size of the main into the city, Cr. Cameron added, would mean an increase in tho pressure in the Square of 25 pounds to the square inch. Tho present pipes wero corroded and inadequate as far‘as carrying tho water required was concerned, the result being that tho pressure suffered. If this loan wero carried, eventually the council would place before the ratepayers a large loan to complete Tiritea. He believed there was sufficient water at Tiritea to provide for a population of 50,000, and past that mark tho council could go to the Kahuterawa. The major scheme at Tiritea would give employment to many unemployed men, helping the Government in its search for avenues of work. Already at Tiritca, Cr. Cameron concluded, there had been spent £IOO,OOO, and he hoped that the ratepayers would sec the wisdom of developing it. Question Time. f'l can only speak for myself, but I

don’t think Tiritoa will be able to cater for the population we eventually expect in Palmerston North,” said the Alayor, iu replying to a question by Air. J. J. O'Shea as to whether the council intended to put proposals for £117,000 to complete the scheme before the ratepayers if they carried the £14,000 loan. “Wouldn’t it be better to go for Pohangina now than to spend further money on Tiritoa?” Air. O’Shea asked. The Alayor disagreed, saying that Tiritea, augmented by the artesian supply, could supply the oily for many years yet. With the present population of the city, it would not be possible to get a loan for Pohangina carried now.

Tho new artesian bore would be put down iu Monson street, so that it should not affect the supply from the Heretaunga street • bores, the Mayor said in reply to a question by Mr. S. H. Snell. It was only wheu bores were put down close together that the supply w T as diminished, he added. Mr. J. R. Hughes (city engineer) told the meeting that 0,000,000 gallons of water had gone to waste daily at Tiritea, while but 1,500,000 gallons were being drawn off by tho city. The Mayor informed Mr. E. J. Oakley that four years ago the council had been told, in regard to a supply from the Manawatu river, that a sump would not filter out any disease germs that might be in the Tivcr water. Personally he was opposed to a river supply and would fight against it. If the loan proposals wero carried, the Mayor said in answer to another question, the total artesian holding capacity would be 700,000 gallons. Votes of thanks were accorded the Mayor and Cr. Cameron, on the motion of Mr. V. A. Christensen.