Water For Ohakea Air Base

Manawatu Times, Volume 64, Issue 147, 24 June 1939, Page 4

Water For Ohakea Air Base

Scheme Similar to Mr. J. T. J. Heatley’s Plan COMPARISON T ITH CITY In view of repeated unsuccessful efforts by Mr. J. T. J. Heatley to persuade the Palmerston North City Council to consider favourably a scheme for augmenting the city’s water supply by means of soak wells along the banks of tho Manawatu River at Fitzherbcrt, moro than the usual amount of interest attaches to the scheme being adopted to supply the Ohakea defence aerodrome with water. In essence, what is being done by tho Government is the same as Mr. Heatley has been advocating. At Ohakea there is to be sunk 100 feet from the Rangitikci River bank a well 6ft. in diameter and 60ft. deen and lined with concrete, into which Mater will be allowed to r’eep. From this well it will be pumped to a tower and from there reticulated to all parts of the station. No Alternative From what was said to a reporter of the “Times,” it appears, however, that tho -waters from the Rangitikei arc more pure than those from the Manawatu River from a bacteriological point 'of vi«w. There is also a second aspect of the Ohakea scheme which must not be lost sight of when considering whether a similar method might be adopted for the city, and that is that at Ohakea there appears to be no alternative method of getting drinking water apart from tanks to hold rain. It is understood, too, that provision will be made there for chlorination. The water will be aerated as it is pumped to the tower. Here it will be held in a 100,000-gallon reservoir which will have a somewhat similar influence to a settling tank. Assuming that something of the same nature was attempted with tho Manawatu River, apart from the water's inferior bacteriological qualities, in all probability some method of securing pressure would have to be carried out, such as building a big holding tank on the Fitzherbert hill, thus adding considerably to the capital cost. Provision tor Pressure Unlike tho Air Force Station at Ohakea, the city is in the fortunate position of having an alternative where there is a gravity feed, and the water can be drawn from bush land, which is considered even better. A large sum has already been spent at Tiritea, and, by the City Council securing additional land, the watershed can be kept free from possible pollution and the summer flow improved by re-afforestation. Another important aspect is that when tho remainder of the headwaters of the Tiritea are bush clad discolouration will be greatly reduced.