NOT PRACTICABLE TO GIVE NOTICE

Southland Times, Issue 23796, 19 April 1939, Page 15

NOT PRACTICABLE TO GIVE NOTICE

FLUSHING OF WATERMAINS At a recent meeting of the Invercargill City Council it was suggested that householders should be notified when flushing of watermains was to be carried out. The Works Committee was instructed to consider the suggestion. The following report was submitted to the council last night by the city engineer (Mr F. M. Corkill): — “The flushing of watermains has been carried on for 50 years. It is a routine job, carried out by the waterworks gang when it has not services of more urgency. Any public notice given could be only vague in its terms, and I doubt whether it would be remembered and be of any effect. Flushing never has been done on Mondays. It must be pointed out that the same effects as those of deliberate flushing are caused by the operations of hydrants for fires, or for filling steam roller boilers, or flushing sewers, or drawing water for concrete-mixing, and no notice of these operations can be given.” Cr A. W. Jones said that serious trouble had been experienced in Georgetown three days in succession.

When flushing was to be done in that fashion surely notice could be given by advertisement in the newspapers. A lot of inconvenience was caused to householders. It was absurd to suggest that flushing of sewers or filling steam roller boilers would create the trouble caused in Georgetown. He moved that the engineer be instructed to give notice to householders where practicable. Cr R. T. Parsons said the report appeared to be “a dig” at Cr Jones and himself who had brought up the ifiatter. It should be practicable to avoid the trouble. Perhaps the men could be brought on at night to do the work. Cr E. J. McLauchlan said he was sure the engineer had no intention to be discourteous. The assistant engineer had explained the difficulties of giving notice.

Cr A. Scott said that no intentional inconvenience was caused. Within a short time the water purification plant would be in operation and after the mains had been cleaned no further trouble would be experienced. The motion was lost and the report was adopted.