DUNEDIN WATER SUPPLY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3111, 29 October 1913, Page 3

DUNEDIN WATER SUPPLY.

TAPPING LEE STREAM

In the course of a report on the present city water supply, which has been drawn up by Cr Sullivan (chairman of the Water Committee of the City Council) and the city engineer in response to a request by Cr Clark, the question of the utilisation of water from Leo Stream is touched, on. The two gentlemen referred to state;—“Wo take it that the motto of the council is not to be, ‘ sufficient for our needs,’ but, rather, ‘ ample for our wants,’ and as the question of an increased supply is bound to crop up sooner or later wo believe it to be advisable to be prepared in that direction. This aspect brings as to the proposal of the Lee Stream.

“This stream is vested in the City of Dunedin for all time for water supply purposes by an amending Bill to the original Act allowing the city to use the water for generating electricity for tramway purposes. The catchment area is 56,850 acres, and for a period of five years the engineer has kept a record of the flow during certain portions of each year. Its minimum flow after a drought, period of three months was 4,400,000 gal daily—more than the city uses at the present time—and its ordinary discharge over the weir is 13,000,000ga1. This discharge does not include Fortification Creek, with a catchment area of 14,720 acres, capable in a drought period of giving 2,000,000 gal daily. In the worst drought season' the Lee and Fortification Streams could supply the city with, about 6,500,000 gal per day, without storage. PIPE 12 MILES TO SOUTHERN RESERVOIR. “ Briefly the proposal is to take these streams at a height of 800 ft, finish the tunnel partly constructed, and pipe the water a distance of 12 miles to the Southern Reservoir, which would then be used a service reservoir. The pipes will be 21in to 24in in diameter, and will be capable of discharging 5,000,000 gal to 8,000,000 gal per day. (The engineer has drawn up a plan of the catchment, showing the proposed lino, and has all other available details at hand). The cost of the proposed works is estimated at £110,005. The question of the duplication of the pipe lino might bo taken into account, however, and this would add to the total sum. PRACTICALLY PURE WATER. “The water has been bacteriologically analysed by the health officer and reported to be practically pure. In addition, a site has been determined upon by the city engineer for a storage reservoir above the intake of 270,000,OOOgal capacity, but it is not allow ed .for in the proposal, because it would not be necessary for many years to come, the daily flow being sufficient for a city with a population of 120,000, using over 50gal per head per day in a drought period.” The report on the proposed scheme will in duo course come before the city for full consideration.