SUPPLY OF WATER

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22183, 9 August 1935, Page 14

SUPPLY OF WATER

NORTH SHORE BOROUGHS REPORT OF ENGINEER TWO SCHEMES DISCUSSED A comprchensivo outlino of two schemes for supplying the boroughs of Dovonport, Takapuna and /Northcoto with water was given in a report prepared by Mr. A. T. Griffiths, Devonport borough engineer, presented to a meeting of members of the three borough councils in the Dovonport Municipal Chambers Inst night. A proposal'to obtain water from the Auckland City Council at Waitakere was estimated to cost £125,750, or possibly £155,935, while a scheme by which Lako Pupuko' would be augmented from the Wairau Stream was estimated to involve the expenditure of £.'35,200. The Waitakere scheme would involve taking a 15in. main from Waitakere to to a reservoir at Birkenhead, the building of the reservoir, and reticulation from that point to the three boroughs, the report stated. The estimated cost was £125,750, or £.'30,185 extra if castiron pipes wero used instead of con-crctc-linod steel tubes. The maximum lifo of the scheme would bo 36 years. The average cost of water from Waitakere between 1934 and 1904 would be 22.8 d per 1000 gallons to Dcvouport consumers if the plant at Lake Pupuko wore sold.. To Takapuna tho estimated cost to consumers for the same period would bo 26.3d per 1000 gallons. The Northcoto cost would bo 20.02 d per 1000 gallons, or 19.98 d if the Northcote plant, buildings and land wero sold. In regard to tho Upper Wairau augmentation of Lako Pupuko, tho report stated it would be safe to say that the life of the scheme would be 48 years, allowing for population increase. In calculations made on the cost of that scheme the repayment would bo assessed at 36 years. The cost of tho Wairau scheme would be £35,200. The average cost to Dovonport consumers would bo 19.6 d per 1000 gallons and to the consumers in Takapuna and Northcoto 1.6 d per 1000 gallons above thoir present rates. In concluding, the report stated that it would tako about 18 months to obtain Waitakere water after loan polls had been taken, while in the caiso of the Wairau, water could be delivered into the lake within six months. Mr. Griffiths considered that tho Wairau scheme would be eligible for an unemployment subsidy of approximately £I9OO, while the subsidy on the Waitakere scheme would be about £7OOO. Following a discussion on the merits of the two schemes a motion ivas carried thanking Mr. Griffiths for his report. THE POSITION OF TAMAKI PROPOSALS FOR A LOAN The Local Government Loans Board having intimated that a poll of the ratepayers was not required for the proposed Tamaki water supply loan, the Public Services Committee of tho City Council recommended last night that application should bo made for an Order in Council authorising the raising of the loan, redemption to be made ] by the sinking fund method.* j The waterworks engineer reported ! that of the total estimated cost, £18,090, wages accounted for £3950, of which about two-thirds would be spent on subsidised relief work. Approximately £llBO would be receivablo in subsidies, reducing tho loan to £16,910. The recommendation was adopted.