THE LEE STREAM 'PROPOSAL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17874, 3 March 1920, Page 5

THE LEE STREAM 'PROPOSAL.

V tiik editor. Sin,—l have from time to time - directed the attention of the citizens both to the in- i adequacy and impurity of our water • supply, but' apparently I havo spoken in vain. The 1 City Council now proposes to take a.' vote- of the ratepayers upon the question of borrowing a sum of money to proceed with the Leo 1 Stream schema. The s proposal will rtotsolve i our water supply problem, for no- sooner will it be completed, if the ratepayers grant supplies, than an agitation will Bpring upto give us pure wnter, and then the- council must again approach the ratepayers for' further supplies. I think it would be for the beat plan for the council to take the citizens into its confidence and state the wliolo case plainly, leaving tlio issue for the electors to ; docido. I am prepared to' address a publio meeting upon vhc question, and, meantime, I may etato that I have given the matter eome study. What we really require is a largo storage reservoir, one capable of storing between a two and tliree months' supply for about 100,000 people. We have an abundant rainfall, but wo lack storage. Wo have three eo-oalled reservoirs—really email. ponds —and their combined storage capacity amounts to only about 100,000,000 gallons, or , aibout a 20 days' supply of stored water. To be safe wo require ftt least a6O days' supply, , or about between two and three hundred mil- - lion gallons of stored water—in other words, about throe times our present storage capacity. That means the enlarging of our present reservoirs or the building' of <1 new one. I think it has been computed that a largo storage reservoir in Wharo Flat would cost about £50,000, and, if large' enough, that would solve our water problem for many ;; years, if the water wore piped into the Southern Reservoir. The council's present plan involves an estimated expenditure ~of ' about £162,000 for a supply which' would be unsatisfactory, and a source of constant oom-.'i'v plaint owing to impurities, while my plan of increased storage—if tho council proceeds with the Lee Stream scheme—lias boon estimated to cost about £200,000, giving a reason- ; ably pure supply to about 100,000 people for many years to come. The citizens should' look into the matter, for there is room for investigation, and explanation, and now is ■ the time to determine which is the proper . coursc to pursue. I beg to suggest to tho oouncil to place the alternate schemes before tho ratepayers, and let them decide by vote V between the council's scheme involving £162,000, giving us impure wivter, and ' my scheme, involving £200,000, giving a plentiful „ and pure supply.—l am, etc., Gordon Maodonald.