AMPLE WATER RESERVE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20424, 28 November 1929, Page 12

AMPLE WATER RESERVE

NO MORE FAMINE FOR CITY.

COMPLETION OF HUIA DAM.

OPENING PROBABLE NEXT WEEK

The driest summer can now be complacently regarded by Aucklanders, for, with the additional storago available in the Waitakcres, there need be no fear of a recurrence of the water famine of two yea:-3 ago. Since that period of rationed water the Auckland City Council has completed two important works, tho increase in the height of the Waitakere dam and the construction of the Huia dam, which have almost doubled the storage capacity. The Waitakere dam, formerly capable of holding 220,000,000 gallons of water, can now contain 450,000,000 gallons, while the new Huia dam has a storage capacity of 526,000.000 gallons. Thus tho city's water reserve has been raised from approximately- 830,000,000 gallons to 1,576,000,000 gallons. Tho IJuia dam, completed a month ago, is now brimming its banks. The Mayor. Mr. G. Baildori, said yesterday that tho latest information he had from Huia was that the water was only 9in. from tlic top on Tuesday morning, and, irrespective of yesterday's rain, it was expected tho volume of running water would be sufficient to have fillod the new dam completely since.

It has been tentatively arranged to hold the official opening of tho dnm on Saturday, Decembor 7. Arrangements have not yet been finalised, but tho Mayor said it was probable that invitations to attend the function would be extended to members of the City Council and to representatives of other local bodies. The opportunity would" also be taken to show the visitors over tho works.. Tho opening ceremony will be performed by the Mayor.

Although tho Huia dam is now full for the first time since its completion, it is not intended to draw water in considerable quantities from that sourco for the immediate future. The completion of the dam was so hastened that the work was finished a month earlier than was originally anticipated. With the drier weather expected in the near future, it might have taken longer to fill the newdam had the work been still in progress; as it is. tho city and neighbouring districts which draw Waitakere water have already available a reserve of water sufficient to stave off any prospect of rationed water for many years to come. " There is now a total storage capacity of about 1,500,000,000 gallons," said the Mayor. " Taking a daily consumption of 11,000,000 gallons, there will bo sufficient water for over 140 days, without taking regard of rain or the running water supplies." The city now has four reservoirs in the Waitakeres. In addition to the Huia and Waitakere dams, there are the main Niliotupu dam, with a capacity of 530,000,000 gallons, and the auxiliary Nihotupu dam, with a capacity of 70,000.000 gallons.