£l5OO DAMAGE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19622, 4 May 1938, Page 13

£ISOO DAMAGE

BOROUGH WATER SUPPLY RESTORING THE SERVICE DIFFICULT UNDERTAKING REPORT BY ENGINEER The estimated cost of repairing the damage to the Gisborne Borough water supply is £ISOO, and the task of restoring the pipeline is regarded as a difficult undertaking. The borqugh engineer, Mr. E. R. Thomas, submitted a report on the dislqcati6n of the service at last night's meeting of the Borough Council, stating that in view of the great amount of slipping that had taken place it would be necessary to locate a new line for the pipes in the damaged section. ' "Two concrete piers and 70ft. of 15in. diameter piping were carried away at a point where the main supply line passes over the Kauwaiwaka Stream," Mr. Thomas reported. "This crossing is located about three-quarters of a mile below the Waingake settling tank and, therefore, resulted in the cutting off of the only water storage the council has at the headworks. Four Breakages "Taumata Hill service rservoir, holding 1,000,000 gallons of reserve water, was brought into operation at 5 a.m. on the Monday, and, although restrictions were placed on the outflow, the supply gave out at 8 a.m. on the Tuesday, leaving the town without water. "In addition to the break at the Kauwaiwaka Stream, a survey of the pipeline between the Waingake settling lank and the intake in the bush catchment area has revealed four breakages, with a possible filth, in that section of pipeline. These breakages are due to hillside slips, and these in places have completely carried away as much as 100 ft. of piping. Dangerous Conditions "Immediate steps were taken to reinstate the main supply line across the Kauwaiwaka Stream and to construct an emergency intake in the stream at a point below the settling tank io supply water for sewer cleansing purposes. To complete this work presented difficulties, owing to road access to Waingake being blocked and the floodwaters in the stream being at such a height as to make working conditions dangerous. "By 5.30 p.m. on Wednesday the work was sufficiently completed to divert a flow of water into the pipeline, the effect of which was not felt in town for many hours, this being due to practically the full length of the main supply pipe and many of the mains in the reticulated area being empty and having to be filled before pressure developed. "With the falling off of the floodwaters it was found necessary to construct a timber dam across the stream at the emergency intake to keep the water level above the intake pipe and which now completed, with the exception of when rubbish causes blockages, should keep the town supplied with water. Line Above Settling Tank "The reinstating of the pipeline above the settling tank is now in hand, and will take some weeks to complete, owing to the broken nature of the hillsides making the necessary relocation of the line a difficult undertaking. "Preliminary examinations of the water by the medical officer of health revealed it to be unfit for domestic purposes, following which instructions were given by the department for heavy chlorination. With the council's chlorinator out of use from the settling tank .being empty, an electric pump had to be installed to supply water for the operation of the apparatus. Chlorination commenced at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 30. and will be continued, the quantity of chlorine solution injected being in accordance with the Health Department's requirements. "During the flood the peak water level was above the pipeline at the Kauwaikawa Stream crossing, and it is intended to relocate the line of pipes in that locality to eliminate the present low-level crossing." The works committee reported that the roading improvements to be carried out by the Cook County Counc'l on the Manutuke-Waingake highway wouid necessitate the re-location of approximately 10 chains of the council's 15in. water supply main. The length of the main affected would have to be duplicated and the Taumata Hill reservoir --elied uoon to keep the town in water whilst the connection was made with the existing main. The cost of that work would be a.charge against the Cook County Council-