THE DUNEDIN WATERWORKS AND THE INTELLIGENT BARBARIANOR, HOW IT STRIKES A SAVAGE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 7875, 18 May 1887, Page 4

THE DUNEDIN WATERWORKS AND THE INTELLIGENT BARBARIANOR, HOW IT STRIKES A SAVAGE.

TO TSTE EDITOR. Sib,—l notice in Monday's issue of the Daily Times tbat Cr Fish is to move a string of motions with reference to our water supply, and that-Cr Dawson is to move—"That the engineer prepare an estimate of the cost of placing filter beds in Ross' creek and Silverstream reservoirs." Now, I have never visited the Silverstream reservoir, but as regards the Ross creek reservoir, I most confidently assert that we don't want any filter beds at all All we want isa little common sense, and to Ulustrate my subject I cannot do better than quote the remarks made by an intelligent barbarian who paid me a viwt when the supply ran short ast year, and when the water laid on to my house had a very bad smell-in fact, it was stink-

Thuvbarbarian.or savage, or whatever you like to call him, expressed a great curiosity to see our waterworks, so I took him to the Ross' creek reservoir one day, but as we could not examine the water as it left the reservoir, we made an inspection^ it where it entered, and found it clear and sparkling. My savage friend then remarked that the quality ot the water appeared very good as it entered the reservoir, so there must be some fault iv the reservoir itself. I in. formed him that it had been built by wise engineers, and explained all about the inlet and outlet valves, the scour-pipe, and last, but not least, the by-wash.

, My friend listened attentively till I had finished, when a smile passed over his swarthy reatures.and he replied: »Ah II see it all now' Xou keep the muddy water and the sediment in the reservoir and let the clear water flow.over the by-wash into the sea! The mountain stream which I and my ancestors,drank from resembled your Ross' creek,'and it is as clear ana pure now as it was 100 years ago; but wo never preventedthestream from carrying itk own sedimentjnto the sea. As to your reservoir, it appears,to me only a matter of time when it will become full of mud and filth: but lone before then it will require to be cleaned out at great expense." The savage was right: and the remedy is simple. However muddy the water may be in times of rain or flood, as it enters the reservoir it settles in a remarkably short time—the water at the top becomin'e quickly clear, while the seliment sinks to the bottom. What we want is a scour-pipe from the lowest point ra the reservoir, but it must be four or five times the diameter of the present apology Jfor one, and the waste water should flow ott through the scourrpipe instead of by the by-wash. This soour-pipe should be kept open to a greater or less extent all througii the winter, or whenever the intake exceeded the amount required. We should then have clear water to drink instead of the filthy mixture served out to us in times of scarcity.' Will our engineers take a hint from a savage, or will they keep on accumulating a supply of typhoid fever germs, to be distributed every summer to the long-suffering ratepayers?—l am, Sx., Common Sense. May 17.