INCREASED WATER SUPPLY

Taranaki Daily News, 20 December 1929, Page 8

INCREASED WATER SUPPLY

SERIOUS SITUATION IN HAWERA. NEW PLANT TO BE ORDERED. During the summer months of the past few years many residents of Hawera have complained of the low pressure of the borough council’s water supply. The question has caused the council concern, and to remedy the trouble it has been decided to install a watei “booster” plant costing £3OOO on a section at the corner of Waihi and Glover Roads. , , The decision was reached after the borough engineer, Mr. John Sturrock, had brought down a comprehensive report on the borough water supply, and recommended that the plant be purchased to overcome the difficulty. In his report Mr. Sturrock describes the booster as a form of pump ■which automatically increases the pressure during periods of low pressure. It would be necessary to store in a tank the surplus water in the main during the night hours to be used through the boosters to give increased quantity and pressure for a few hours. Another suggestion made some years ago was to use the lower tank of the tower, ho.ding 50,000 gallons, for boosting purposes, leaving the top tank, holding 100,000 gallons, available for fire-fighting purposes. The fire board prohibited it. “As regards the operation of the plant, the surplus water in the 10-inch main during the night hours would overflow against a loaded valve into an unoeroround storage tank holding 50,000 to 100,000 gallons. The flow would be automatically controlled. The _ tank would be filled or partly filled m the early morning. About breakfast time pressure would fall in the mains. The falling of the pressure would be felt in the pipes of the engine room and would cause the boosting pumps (electrically driven) to come into operation. They would come into operation automatically and continue working until the rush for water in the town was over, whereupon the pressure would rise. m *-he mains and the boosters would shut themselves off automatically. “To avoid too many stops and starts, f mains, there would he provided a large, steel cylinder filled with compressed air 1 and water. This would interpose an elastic buffer between the pumps and the mains, and would regularise the peiiods of working. This automatic system ensures that there is no useless pumping after the pressure has been restored, and it. does away with the necessity for an attendant. The plant would at present be in use during summer months for-'a few hours each day, but its use would probably’increase in a few years. “Apart from the booster system, I know of no cheap means of increasing the pressure, unless we consider the employment cf patrols to visit houses during droughts and prosecute offenders wasting, water. "It will be asked -whether or not the installation of a booster system will obviate the necessity for duplication. It is very risky to definitely answer such questions. The success cf the booster system depends entirely upon there being a surplus of water in the mains at nights. The surplus has been lessening during recent years, and it might possibly cont.nue to lessen until thcie is not suffeient margin to us,e in the boosters, in which case they would be almost useless. All I care to say is that at present, and probably for some yeais, the boosters would enable us to augment the minimum pressure for some hours daily.” . . , In outlining the existing scheme, Mr. Sturrock states: — “The town is supplied from the K.apuni River, and the instake is situated at a rocky bend where a pool is always present. The water passes theiefiom into a tunnel which discharges. into a double settling tank from which silt can be removed as required. Beyond the tank is a small well containing a fine screen for the removal of suspended matter. The 10-inch main to the town is about 11 miles long, and a short part of it at the headworks is of 15-inch pipe with an angled junction ready for duplication purposes. The screens are cleaned by an attendant who lives close by. The water in the tower is not used for domestic supply, but is reserved for fire purposes. “Gaugings of the flow of the Kapuni River -were taken during a period of severe drought some years ago. . Even during drought there was, at the intake, 13 times more water than the borough could consume. The trouble is not with the river. It is that the town has outgrown the 10-inch main. “Tests have been made for some time on occasions at 4 a.m. of the flow of the 10-inch main at Waihi-Glover Roads corner. The flow has been almost invariably 400 gallons per minute. This quantity would be increased if we could make a more rigid test by stopping all supplies in the country. It would also be increased if we could stop the innumerable little, leakages from the pipe joints up-country. However, when we consider that a cast iron pipe comparatively new cannnot be expected to. convey much beyond 500 gallons per minute it is at once apparent that this pipe is giving really good service considering its age. It is also apparent that any loss of pressure due to tubercle is slight. I have seen water mains which were almost closed up by internal incrustations of tubercles. “The tower has been much criticised It has, however, staved off duplication of the main, and has, I understand, more than saved its cost against interest of money on a loan for duplication. “The critical period of our pressures is the ‘cabbage’ period, when gardens are being freely watered. During the remainder of the year we manage passably well. We all know from personal observation-that, despite warnings, garden hose pipes are left running, often all night. Just a reasonable quantity of water suffices, so I am told, for vegetable and flower growing, but the Hawera variety is, in many instances, luxuriously dosed. If ratepayers expect to avoid further costs for duplication or for pressure boosting they must expect the use of th© hose to be absolutely prohibited during certain months. “The matter of cutting off extraordin

ary water supplies came up previously, but investigations showed that but little, if any, relief was to be expected, and the act would leave in the lurch users of extraordinary supplies who have paid larg? sums over years. It would be morally a breach of faith, and, further, we would lose the revenue these services bring. It was estimated that the effect of supplying Nolantown would be negligible in its effect upon the pressure. Tests were' made when the scheme was completed, and this was found to be the case.

“It is shown that the proposal of converting extraordinary services to night services is ineffective. It is not a matter of saving 8 per cent., but of providing 190 per cent, extra room in the mains. “It would be very risky making an attempt to increase pressure by taking the intake further upstream. The eld pipes fracture at the least shock, and to put any further load on them would be to court real trouble. Further, the cost of a new intake, storage tank ;-.nJ tunnel is no trifle, even if advisable, which it is not

“The route of the existing 10-inch main i' not to be improv.d upon, and there are no suitable, populations eu route to justify, by sale of water to them, any deviations of route. The cost of an extension to an intake at the Mountain Belt would be prohibitive, and I do not think it would be warranted. The pressure would be much too great for the services, and -would require to be reduced. The height of the present intake is just about right for a good pressure if the pipe were larger. The water at the mountain belt is certainly almost ideal in its purity, but, after all, we find London drawing water from the New River, which is polluted, and turning it into a first-class potable water by means of filters. It would be much less costly to provide filters than to go to the mountain belt. However, the proposed duplication to the present intake could form part of a pipe line to the mountain belt if ever unexpect ed developments require this.

“So far as I can calculate, we use about 70 to 75 gallons per head per 24 hours, including losses. For some reason or other this appears to be a common figure in records in New Zealand. In America they have reached the enormous figure of 300 gallons per head per 24 hours in some places. It is of little avail trying to obtain coniipaYaXAxe X.wws, I know that they are rarely accurate, and, further, they depend upon varying circumstances and are liable to be misleading. The advance in the use of water per head has been perplexing for water engineers during the last three de- , cades—yet people insist upon it and. health authorities urge it. Probably the good sense of people tells them that there are few things so cheap and so well worth paying for as a good, liberal supply of water. If we calculate the flow and pressure for 10,000 people at 70 gallons per head per 24 hours, allowing for peak loads, we find that the pressure would be zero —in other words, it could not be done by our present system.

“Approximate estimates of the cost of duplication arc: —12-inch steel main: Main, £33,000; filters, £5000; main feeders, £5000; contingencies, £5600; total, £48,000. 10-inch steel main: Main, £26,000; filters* £5000; main feeder.:, £5000; contingencies, £4000; total, £40,000. If filters and main feeders are omitted, we have a 12-inch steel main to cost £38,000, or a 10-inch steel main costing £30,000. “It is possible that the 10-inch main i ight be laid for a little over £26,000, but the foregoing is my estimate. The above do not include land, legal matters, interest., engineering, cost of raising loan, or first year's interest on loan, or surveys. An additional 10-inch pipe would allow for an eventual population of from 8000 to 10,000, and a 12inch pipe 12,000 to 14,000, both assisted by the existing pipe, assuming that the pressure would have fallen to 251bs. with an average demand of 70 gallons per head per 24 hours when the population had increased to these figures.” ODDFELLOWS’ CHRISTMAS CHEEK. FUNCTION AT HAWERA. Father Christmas held sway at St. Mary’s Hall, Hawera, on Wednesday evening and lavishly distributed his gifts on the occasion of the annual Christmas tree function organised and conducted by Hawera Oddfellows. The success of the function was due to the work of a combined energetic committee drawn from the Huia and Kiwi Lodges of the Order, comprising Messrs. L. Warner, P. Trim, A. J. Haseltine, H. Collier, A. Knotman, J. Timmins, B. L. Haseltine, Mesdames L, Corey, B. L. Haseltine, L. Storm, E. Cooper, Misses H. ■-Squire, M. Evans and E. Dahl. Mr. P. Trim as master of ceremonies and Ah - . L. Warner as Father Christmas carried out their duties very pleasingly, as did Mr. A. Knotman, in charge of the soft drinks stall. After supper had been served by the ladies, the remainder of the evening was devoted to games and competitions with the following results: Simon’s drill: Girls, Winnie Trim 1, Sheila O’Brien 2; boys, R. Haseltine 1. Potato races: Girls, Winnie Trim 1, Rita Moore 2; boys, R. Haseltine 1. OPUNAKE GENERAL ITEMS. The Opunake Convent school children were given a merry breaking-up function in St. Patrick’s hall on Wednesday afternoon. A Christmas tree loaded with toys provided presents for the infant classes. For the other pupils presents were given separately, each pupil receiving a parcel. The hall was crowded, many parents being present. Father Christmas was also present and gave out the presents and wished the children seasonal greetings. A big supply of soft drinks and tea was -provided. The Rev. Fathers Kennedy and Dillon were present and with parents and members of the church gave all the children a very happy time. The Plunket Society's report for the Opunake branch at the last monthly meeting stated that the numbers of cases on the books were: Under two years, 78; new cases, 4; visits to rooms, adults, 81; babies, 69; visitors, 11; other children, 30. The New Plymouth society was thanked for assisting the branch by allowing Nurse Peterson to visit Opunake