NEW WATER SUPPLY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 2 January 1941, Page 4

NEW WATER SUPPLY

WHEN WILL IT BE READY ? “NOT AN IRRIGATION SCHEME” When will the new water supply from the Roding River be available to the people of Nelson? The contract time for delivery is March or April and it is expected that Nelson will have the water by then. It was thought recently that it might be ready by February but this hope now may not be realised. Everything depends on the speed with which th? pipes are laid through the tunnel and preparatory work for this has been held up a little. The water which is being taken from the Poorman’s Valley stream, mainly to supply the Nelson aerodrome, is now available. ADDICTED TO THE HOSE When the Roding scheme is in operation, Nelson will be as well supplied with water, by comparison, as any of the modern American cities. About two and a half times as much as the present normal usage will be on tap b..t, in the words of the City Engineer (Mr C. I. Kidson), “the people must not expect an irrigation scheme.” In other words Nelsonians—some of whom are rather addicted to the hose —cannot turn their taps on and leave them, thinking that it doesn’t matter anyway, because there will be enough for all. Certain hosing restrictions are likely to remain with the new supply, if wasteful use is made of the water over large areas. With a water supply it is not so much a matter of absolute volume of water as of its rate of flow. A flow of a cubic foot of water a second is called a cusec. There is more than enough water in the Roding all the year round to provide a flow of seven cusecs. The pipes will carry seven cusecs, but a normal flow of five cusecs should provide ample for Nelson’s requirements under present conditions. Moreover the pressure will be greatly improved. On the highest levels it should be 25 pounds a square inch, while, on the low levels it should reach 250. THREE PEAKS What worries the engineers is providing for peak supply and experience in Nelson has shown that it is the hose-users who maintain the peak. There are three peaks in the course of a normal Nelson day. The first is about 9 a.m. and is caused by domestic and industrial users. The second one comes about 3 p.m. and is caused by the same class of user. The third one comes, in summer, between 7 and 8 p.m., when residents are enjoying themselves in the cool of the evening with the hose.