THE CITY WATER SUPPLY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18889, 11 December 1924, Page 8

THE CITY WATER SUPPLY.

The protest by the superintendent of the city fire brigade at the inadequacy of the water supply in residential areas is too serious in principle and too positive in detail to be ignored by the municipal authorities. Mr. Wilson's case is that four-inch mains are too small to deliver water in sufficient volume or at sufficient pressure to enable the brigade to control fires in closely'built areas. These exist in many parts of the city, very rarely with such alleviating circumstances as assisted the brigade in fighting the fire in Ponsonby yesterday morning. There are great expanses covered with modest cottage homes so closely built that should fire become established in any of them, its suppression would be possible only with the most efficient fire : fighting appliances. There is no question of the skill or the speed with which the Auckland brigades perform their duty, but they are hopelessly handicapped when confronted wfth an extensive fire among wooden buildings if there is so little water that not more than two hoses can be used with effective pressure. Promptly summoned, they may race to the danger point and smother the outbreak ; any delay in giving the alarm or to the brigade en route may give the fire such a start that a situation beyond their control will : have developed. It is a perilous i state of affairs in a great city. Nor 1 i<» it confined to the actual city area. Water supplies in many of the independent suburbs are notoriously inadequate and unsatisfactory. There are constant complaints of the poor pressure for domestic use. If this I is one of the steps taken to econoj mise water the facts should be made 'known for, in view of-the risk of fire spreading, low water pressure is 'a | danger to the public as well as an inconvenience. The truth is j that the growth of Auckland has outdistanced the whole water supply system. Mains that were sufficient when houses were scattered arc required to supply streets in which there is not a vacant section, and there is good reason to believe that i the faults attributed to the private services often exist in the mains. There is a further disquieting fact in this connection. The total capacity of the seven service reservoirs, from which 130,000 people are supplied, is 15.000,000 gallons, representing a reserve of only two days' supply against the risk of the main pipe line from the hills being interrupted. This contingency may be of less importance when the second pipe-line is completed, but it is an aspect of the general question upon which authoritative assurance would be welcome. That a complete review of the whole reticulation system, from tbe viewpoint of both domestic requirements and fire protection, is necessary cannot be seriously questioned.