WATER CUT OFF

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22933, 11 January 1938, Page 8

WATER CUT OFF

TAIHAPE VANDALISM INTERFERENCE. WITH VALVEI; SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES §f| EIGHT BLOW-OUTS CAUSED ■ ■ - • i' [BY TELEGRAPH —OWN tORR;srONDENr] ; ,K 1 TAIHAPE, Monday The Taihape borough water supply was cut off for several hours yesterday .'V morning owing to the valves on' the pipe-line from the headworks at v Ngaurukehu to the reservoir at Tii. hape being tampered with by some un. known person. The borough foreman, Mr. J, JI. ' Scott, explained this morning that a - compensating valve had been screwed down to such an extent that a terrifio V hack pressure had been caused between this locality and the headworks,- r* ftf suiting in several blow-outs and the. cut* ting off of the water supply to the" V reservoir. By eight o'clock yesterday 111 morning the reservoir was practically" empty. It had a capacity of 650,0f>3 gallons, but it was seldom required to hold more than half that quantity. Altogether eiglit major blow-otjta were repaired during the week-end, said Mr. Scott, and there were probablymore developing. The complete shutting off of the water had shaken all the" joints in the pipe-line and was likely ' 4 l; to cause further trouble.

The whole affair was very serious in. • deed, said Mr. Scott, and a repetition might be disastrous. The main gat# valve, as well as the compensating valve, had been interfered with. These valves were housed .in concrete compartments, together with the scour valve.

Mr. Scott added that his staff had worked almost continuously during the week-end, with only a few hours of sleep, and he was very pleased with the way in which they had responded to the emergency. By 11 o'clock on Sunday mornjng the matter was well in hand and water had started to run into thereservoir.