THE WATER QUESTION

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXI, 29 April 1937, Page 4

THE WATER QUESTION

LTo The Editor] Sir, —Having followed the developments of the water supply question in Nelson for the past four or five years, I have been interested in the correspondence which has recently appeared in your columns. What amazes me is the fact that for years residents of Nelson have been making bitter complaints about the inadequacy of the water supply, and urging the City Council to do something and yet when the Council does do something people' seem to have nothing but fault to find and some of your correspondents are even asserting that the present supply is ample for the needs of the city.

I believe it is no exaggeration to say that for four years at least the water supply has been under continuous consideration by the Council. They have read and considered sheaves of reports, called to their aid experienced engineers, had Blils put through Parliament, held conferences, conducted an almost endless correspondence, and had numerous interviews with Ministers of the Crown and Government Departments, and now they are endeavouring to place before the ratepayers a straightforward statement of their reasons for favouring the Roding scheme. Two Councils, comprising some seventeen business men chosen by the ratepayers themselves, have spent lour years considering this matter and weighing the relative merits of the several schemes. Moreover these men are ratepayers themselves and are for that reason, if .'or no other, desirous of selecting the best scheme. Critics, however, whose knowledge of the essential facts is admittedly superficial, are asking the ratepayers to accept their opinion as preferable to that of the Council which has been formed after an exhaustive consideration of all the facts, and with the advice of experts. I trust that the ratepayers will consider this aspect of the matter before recording their votes on Thursday next. —I am, etc., J. G. INGRAM. [To The Editor] Sir, —In last night's Hampden Street meeting 1 see that Dr. Gibbs draws a lurid picture of what we may expect if pumping be continued from the Maitai. He enlarged on the horrors of chlorination and pictured the ladies of Nelson ceasing to enjoy their morning tea as a result of using the water. This may be excellent propaganda, but it may be just as well to get at the facts.

Firstly, I myself have heard the City Engineer slate that the Hanby Park well water was excellent in quality, il not unlimited as a source of supply Pumped through the gravels as at present. it is probably better in quality than either the Brook street or the Roding water, which suffer from turbidity during every flood, and are always slightly coloured

The treatment of water by chlorination is i * a subject 1 know much about; in fact, I hardly ever heard of it before coming to Nelson, except as a germicide or antiseptic in rendering putrid waters inocuous to health, such as army camps occasionally have to adopt.

On f i other hand, I have had a great deal to do with the filtration of v.ater supplies, and incidentally read, what was considered at the time, one of the best papers ever read on the subject

before the British Association of Water Engineers, as a result of my investigations in Brisbane. I think I can say pretty safely, though I admit I am not absolutely certain, that chlorination as used in Nelson is. except as an emergency measure, never adopted elsewhere for the purification of public water supplies in any town in Europe, America, or Australasia. No doubt in our case the Health Authorities were responsible, who, in my opinion, like the doctors themselves, know less about the actual keeping of health than the ordinary educated individual. What happened .no doubt was that when the Normanby Bridge well gave some suspicion of contamination, the Health Authorities took no chances, and chlorination was adopted, but that is no reason for condemning the Maitai a mile further up, or using such an incident as a reason against pumping as a standby. I don’t think I am far wrong in saying that at least half, if not a greater proportion of the town water supplies of Europe and America, are pumping supplies, adopted because pumping was better and cheaper, and the same probably applies in our case when we have to spend so much in driving a tunnel nearly two miles long. Also, it may not be generally known that probably fully 95 per cent. of water supplies of Europe and America are filtered supplies. It is quite the exception not to have to do so, and then only in sparsely settled countries in temperate climates like New Zealand, with unlimited water flowing everywhere. There would be no difficulty in dealing with either the Roding or the Maitai supplies by filtration should it ever become necessary, and both would be much improved by the process. Should that ever be decided upon, I will guarantee that chlorination will never even be considered by any engineer who knows his job 1 do not think Dr Gibbs improved the prospects of carrying the vote by what he said.—l am. etc., H. G. FOSTER BARHAM Nelson, 27th April [To The Editorl Sir, —In regard to water supply. I was not intending to state any personal views on the vexed question ‘of water supply, so important to us all in Nelson and province, as already it has been thrashed out —and by all and sundry, experts and wise—or otherwise. However, on reading Messrs Rogers’ and Huggins’ well-thoughtout letters in tonight’s paper, I would like to add my approval of their commonsense and logical conclusions, which I fail to see we can escape from, despite the various other letters differing from them, written by expert and non-ex-pert. So, as every precaution seemingly has been taken alike by expert and Mayor and Council —included'among whom we have to thank the Mayor and Dr. Gibbs especially, for timely warning—the only safe course remaining for voters is to coincide with them and register their votes, remembering that this Government is the only one which has backed up our railway to Christchurch, and offered a large sum towards establishing a permanent water system—rendering us safe from dread trials of drought already experienced.—l am. etc.,

COLIN CAMPBELL. Nelson, 28th April.