SPECIAL MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL.

Colonist, Volume LIII, Issue 13061, 22 March 1911, Page 2

SPECIAL MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL.

DRASTIC ACTION,

USE OF THE HOSE PROHIBITED,

A special meeting of the City Council was held at 5 o'clock last evening to consider the present state of the city water supply. There were present "tho Mayor (Mr Thos. Pettit), and Councillors Turner, Neale, Hampson, Lightband, Grace, Adams and Field. »

The Mayor explained that he had called the meeting in consequence o-t the continuance of the? drought and the serious. diminution of the water conserved by the weir. Trusting to rain falling-he had delayed action as long as possible, but the position was that on Monday tho water levcJ had fallen, to within eighteen inches of the pipe intake. After due consideration of the position he had come prepared to suggest that the water should be shut off for several hours during the night to enable a certain amount of water to be conserved for emergencies. The inconvenience would be small and the danger arising from an outbreak of fire would be minimised by the fact that both the Town Clark and the police were connected by telephone with the reservoir keeper's house, and as the shut-off plug was just outside, the residence the water could be very quickly turned on if necessary. The water chart showed that a considerable quantity of water was used between the hours of ten at night and six m the morning, and that quantity held in the weir would be a valuable reserve.

Cr Hampson regretted the necessity for thn action, but lie saw no other course opon in t!io circumstances, and he moved that the water he cut off entirely botwoon the hours of elovon at night and live in the morning during the continuance! of the drought. It was calculated that about twenty-four thousand gallons of water was flowing into the weir pea- hour, and the suggested six hours cutting off would conservo 144,000 gallons daily, which he thought would be sufficient until rain fell.

Cr Grace seconded tho proposition. Ho said that there was a good deal of waste during the night and this would be prevented without inconvenience to the public by the action contemplated, while they precaution would ensure iaimplo supply for fire extinguishing purposes. Cr Neale said that he must support the motion because there was nothing else to do to get oven? the difficuty, but to say tli at there would be no inconvenience or danger from fire during tho shut off period was far from accurate. By the time water turned into the empty pipes could reach thp site of a fire' all chance of extinguishing the fire would practically be gone. Cr Adams said that the matter had boon allowed to go too far; action should have been taken earlier. He wished to have the opinion of the caretaker as to whether it would not be bettor to only partially turn off the water to minimise; the danger of breaking pipes when the water was again turned on fully.

The Mayor said that he had already obtained the opinion and the caretaker favoured completely turning off. the water, it being arranged to leave a valvo open on the flat to lessen thn danger of breakages. It had been found iv practice that when IV o.;r of 18J- tunns of the shut off were made thorn was very little perceptible saving made of the water at night and it seemed- that to completely shut the water off was the only thing to do. He defended himself from Cr Adams' rr<marks stating that he had given the matter the closest attention but the water had dropped very rapidly since last Friday.

Cr Lightband favoured greater restrictions i» the use of water. A great deal of waste was going on. Cr Field considered that the matter had been allowed to go too far be/ore stops were taken. The Mayor and Town Clerk had authority»to stop tnc water. (The Mayor denied that this was so.) He supposed the reason of the inaction was the probability of rain. He wished to have the How of tho Roding and the Brook streams guaged during the drought. Cr Neale warmly defended the Mayor from the reanarks of Crs Adams and Field alleging delay. He, said that it was the Council that was at fault. Tho Council should have provided for the water and the water was not there. The Mayor had done all that was possiblo and desurved their congratulations.-

The motion was then carried unanimously, with the proviso that the arrangement is to continue as long as dcenied necessary by the Mayor.

The Mayor said, that tho rosoliUloi! would bo given effect to on Wednesday night.

The, Mayor stated that he had at his own expense endeavoured to get a qualififtd person to guage the flow of the Roding, at the proposed intake, and the Brook, above the weir, at the present time. He had been anxious to get Mr Littlejohn to go up, but that would not be* possible till Friday next, so, in view of tho probability of rain falling, he had arranged for Mr Stone, the. reservoir keeper, to visit the Roding and give his opinion. Mr Stoicdid not profess to measure thci water but claimed that lie could givo a fairly accurate estimate. Mr Stone did not think that at the proposed intake there was more than 600,000 gallons ol water peir 24 hours flowing down tho Roding, and the flow of the Brook he estimated at 500,000 gallons for the sarnie period. Goad's creek flow he estimated at 300,000 gallons.

Cr Field said that in a greater drought than tho present the City Engineer calculated tho Roding flow at over a million gallons, and that of the Brook at 560,000 gallons. He moved that Mr Littlejohn be requested, if he could do so before the drought broke/ up, to guage tiie flow of tho Roding at the proposed intake, the flow of the Brook above the weir", a.nd the flow of Goad's crock.

Cr Adams seconded tho motion. Cr Grace said that on November 20th last Mr Littlejohn guaged the Roding flow at 1,129,530 gallons, while in the previous January, when it was very much drier and less water would he expected, Mr Smith had guaged tho daily flow at 1.316,000 gallons.

Tlie motion was carried

It was then resolved that the use of the hose for irrigation purposes he prohibited. • The Council then adjourned.