CITY WATER SUPPLY

Colonist, Volume LVII, Issue 14153, 2 August 1916, Page 4

CITY WATER SUPPLY

SHORTAGE ON THE HIGH LEVELS.

A SERIOUS POSITION.

Since the recent flood -the water suiv ply in some parts of the-city, especially the high levels, has been considerablydisarranged owing to quantities of debris having gained admission to the mams and caused blockages at several* points. The pressure practically' all. over the city has •been greatly reduced while m some localities the" supply is reduced to a mere trickle, failing at times altogether. On Britannia Heights and other parts of the high levels the position is exceedingly acute. Tito diminished pressure being unable to force the water up to the' higher altitudes, a portion ,of\ the- residential area on the Port Hills has been entirely without water .since Sunday morning, except for the reserve contained in house tanks, which in most cases quickly gave out. Several householders have had to rely largely on rain water and on supplies obtained from neighbours who have installed larger storage tanks than are usually necessary. . At some houses since Sunday it has been impossible to> flush .sanitary appliances, and apart from the great inconvenience entiailed by the water famine its continuancewill result in a grave menace to health: The City Engineer and his staff have been constantly at work endeavouring to locate and remove blockages, but the trouble is apparently so widespread that their.efforts have go far had little appreciable result, and some time is; likely to elapse before normal conditions are restored. Meanwhile householders in the affected areas view the situation with great apprehension. The Works Committee of the City Council is to meet, to-da-v to consider water supply matters, and it is to be hoped that it will be able to devise some emergency measure to meet the present situation.