THE WATER SUPPLY.

Colonist, Volume LVII, Issue 14142, 19 July 1916, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE WATER SUPPLY.

MAINS AT FAULT

STATEMPLNT BY THE CITY-

ENGINEER,

The failure of the water ; supply at the fire on .Thursday night was brought; up at last night's meeting of'the;City Council. . ;.:

Cr. Piper moved that the scheme advocated by Mr Jickell. to improve the water supply by raising the upper weir be referred to the .^Vorks and Finance Committees. " :;.-

-The Mayor,, in seconding the motion, said that raising the 'weir would not increase, the .pressure. The" prassure was so great now that it almost trurst the mains. The trouble lay in the m'aiiis, which' could not carry the> water. " . ;-

The motion vr,as carried

Cf.; Webley asked the City Engineev if he could explain the* reason for the poor .pressure at the fire on the previous night, and whether in his opinion the recent alteration of. the .service fa^ a mistake, . ' .-r:

The City Engineer said he had,been searching for some time for the blockage in. the mains, and had found one in Wiaimea' street. During the fire' on Thursday nighfc the whole supply ' .ijpm the weir was diverted mto the Hospital main, and the result bore out what hebad ' several times maintained—^thai there was a bad'blockage-in the Brook street seven-inch main. On Thursday night lall. the town except Richmond avenue was cut out from the weir,"and. still the water, could not be got tip to the fire. After the fire -a, pressure of Golb to-the square inch was at the top of Britannia-Heights; l;fc; \\;ns perfectly clear that tlie mains. wei*e ,s6 'corroded- that they -;cpqM: v jtipt.' ctari;/ the water. ■ -■";::'.■ '":'":■'■''■•:..'■■■, .:•.;■!'■.'

- -Gr;- Harrison said the City "Engineer's estimate-.of, the «>st of putting', the re^ tieulation system in order was ;£ll;5{)0..; It \vsJs decided that, the : City Engineer; continue- his investigations, to., discover the obstructions in the mains. ;r-.\'^3:".