GRAVITATION FOR SUPPLY

Southland Times, Issue 23773, 22 March 1939, Page 6

GRAVITATION FOR SUPPLY

Scheme Decided On

59 Years Ago

EARLY HISTORY OF WATER SYSTEM

A gravitation scheme of water supply for the town of Invercargill was decided upon more than 50 years ago, and the council of the day decided to erect an iron tower instead of the present brick and concrete water tower which stands today as one of Invercargill’s best-known landmarks. The waterworks buildings and plant were erected on the reserve at the top of Leet street in 1888. . Before they were built the idea of trusting to the artesian method of getting water was canvassed a good deal. In 1880, during the Mayoralty of Mr G. Goodwillie, a gravitation scheme from the Dunsdale creek was decided upon as the best source of supply. For the safe of economy Mr J. T. Thomson, surveyor, advocated the formation of an open course for the conveyance of the water, but this was opposed, the contention against it being that water could be brought in a pure state for 25 miles only through pipes. This view prevailed and a scheme involving an expenditure of £lOO,OOO was adopted by the council and submitted for the approval of the ratepayers. The whole outlay was proposed to be paid for with a loan of £120,000, of which £20,000 was to be devoted to improvements apart from water. Four or five years later the underground water scheme was revived and the present waterworks were constructed. The machinery had not been long in operation, however, when complaints frequently were heard about the impurity of the water. The water was discoloured and showed plainly among other impurities the presence of iron. Much correspondence in the newspapers had its effect and various experiments were tried, all without success. Ultimately the system of aeration by spraying in the reservoirs was adopted. This was supplemented by the introduction of air-iift pumping. Improvements were thus made, but never was the water thoroughly freed of impurities. One report of experiments carried out to try to ascertain the cause of the impurities stated: “The well shaft is itself so fouled that a man can stay down only a short time, and sometimes a candle will hardly burn. The tank on the top of the tower is carefully roofed in to keep out the impurities which are supposed to be in the atmosphere, but the only real purpose it serves is to prevent the escape of bad air.” Comment upon the water was made by Dr Galbraith, Dr Levinge, Professor Black and others, and the record of their reports showed that the underground supply was of anything 'but ideal quality in the earliest years of pumping. POLL IN 1913 In 1907, after an inquiry about the capacity of the well at the tower—it was said that it was running dry— Mr William Sharp, the town engineer, reported on an additional supply for the town, including the possibility of securing a supply from the New river at Dipton or Dunsdale, or a further artesian supply.- Mr Sharp did not recommend the Dunsdale scheme. A big controversy was carried on for several years and in 1913 a poll was taken to decide whether the pumping scheme should be persevered with or whether a gravitation scheme should be adopted. Quite a political atmosphere surrounded the campaign which was carried out by those who supported additional pumping plant and those who asked that a gravitation scheme be installed. Both sides had their committees and much money was spent in the newspapers in advertising the arguments for and against the proposals. The “pumpers” strongly urged the ratepayers to vote against the proposal to borrow £60,000 for the Dunsdale scheme for a variety of reasons. They explained that the tests carried out at the pumping station demonstrated that an abundant supply of water could be obtained from underground at a much less cost than by gravitation, They also claimed that in the opinion of doctors the underground water was purer and freer from the liability to cause diseases peculiar to surface water.

The supporters of gravitation replied that it might be only imaginary that there was an adequate supply of water underground; that analysts had declared the Dunsdale water to be equal to that of English and Continental towns, and that all the theories of the “pumpers” about cost and the quantity of

water available had been disproved. The result of the poll was as follows: —

Majority against gravitation 165 The pumping loan of £12.000 was subscribed and expended and in 1919 a further loan of £12,500 was authorized. Since then additions and improvements have been made to the water supply plant, but in spite of the expenditure of big sums of monev and earnest experimenting the quality of the water rarely has been satisfactory. Several years ago the position again became so acute that the cry for a gravitation scheme from the Dunsdale river once more was heard, and a mayoral election was fought on ths issues of gravitation and pumping. The “pumpers” gained another victory. FOUNDATION STONES OF TOWER TWO LAID AT CEREMONY , IN 1888 Much interest was shown in the ceremony of the laying of the foundation stones of the water tower on December 18, 1888. The Mayor, Mr E. A. Tapper, presided at the ceremony. The laying of the first of the two foundation stones of the tower was considered by the Mayor as “the crowning victory in the great battle of bricks versus iron” which had been fought by the council with considerable warmth. Few of the ratepayers, he said, were aware of how near they were to having a huge black skeleton erected on the reserve. It was almost decided to have an iron tower, but a delay was obtained, and in the interval one of the councillors who had favoured iron was convinced that bricks would be better and so the day was won. Copies of the Invercargill newspapers and a parchment scroll giving the names of the officials taking part at the ceremony were placed in a cache under the foundation stones.

The parchment scroll read as follows:

BOROUGH OF INVERCARGILL WATERWORKS The foundation stones of this water tower were laid this eighteenth day of December, 1888, by EDWIN ALFRED TAPPER, Mayor, and THOMAS FLEMING, Mayor-elect, Assisted by Councillors Robert Cleave Terence Patrick Finn William Horatio Hall Joseph Hatch James Lennie George Lumsden William H. Mathieson John W. Mitchell * D. McFarlane ' Alexander Storie and Thomas Alexander Walker. William Sharp, A.M.1.C.E., being Engineer, and William Benjamin Scandrett, Town Clerk. The contractors for the erection of the tower are Matthew and Hugh Mair, and for the steel tank, Walter Guthrie and Company. The cost of the water supply system is £30,000 and of this tower and tank £4OOO. “The silver trowels were scarcely large enough to be used in laying the stones, but in every other respect they were similar in appearance to those with which the work would be performed,” said a newspaper report of the proceedings.

Pumping scheme: 892 For Against 519 Informal 92 Majority for pumping 373 Gravitation scheme: For 621 Against 786 Informal 95