DRAINAGE OF THE BOROUGH

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8217, 22 August 1906, Page 5

DRAINAGE OF THE BOROUGH

REPORT BY DR MAKuILL,

When in Mastertou a few weeks ago Dr Makgill, District Health Officer, made a thorough inspection of the septio tank and the whole of the drainage of the corough. He promised to report extensivoly iu conneotion tborewitb, and last evening the dootor'a report was laid \ before the Boiough Council. It read as follows: There are, in the first place, large areas of the town, notably iu the Kuripuni distriot, which cannot at present derive any advantage from the drainage scheme, owing to the levels being too low to connect with the existing sewers. All that part of the Borough south of Cornwall and Bennington Streets and south east of Worksop Road is in this unsatisfactory condition. I understand that some 300 bouses aru thus effected, and those are rapidly in creasing in number. The uigbtsoil service is only a partial measure. The slop-wastes remain to be disposed of, and these are just as likely to lead to trouble—outbreaks of diphtheria, typhoid and other infectious diseases—as anything else when the area of land round each house is insufficient for sanitary methods of dealing with sewage. It is very necessary then for the Council to face this difficulty without waiting for these troubles to arise. Provision is, I believe, now being made for an extension of the water service The only question is whether it will be better in the end to lay a separate system of sewerage or the parts of the borough mentioned, leading to the new treatment tank, probably somewhere about the bank of the Waingawa River, or to convey it to a pumping station, and so to the present outfall works. Against the latter proposal must be considered the cost of such pumping, and also the fact that the present tank installation is not capable of dealing with the amount of sewage already passing into it. This leads me on to a second and a very important question effecting the drainage of the town, and one which the Council must be prepared to take iu hand as soon as possible. Trwre is no doubt that the present method of treating the sewage is a failure. Complaints have reached me from persons living further down tbe Ruamahanga River as to the pollution of the water, and after an inspection of the existing conditions I am hound to report that these complaints have some justification. The trouble with the tank itself was Bhow,n last year to be partly or entirely due to the excessive amount of sewage, which was found to be far beyond ito calculated powers of disposal. This excess may be to some extent caused by wastefulness on tbe part of the householders, but also there is doubtless a great deal of ground water getting in from certain districts. There would then appear to be two remedies—either to increase l tbe capacity of the tank, or to relay tbe sewers, a very troublesome and costly business indeed. Stricter supervisioi of the taps and other service fixtures iu tbe houses should, I think, be exercised in any case, and bo help to keep down the flow. Bat beyond the matter of the capacity of the tank we must consider the treatment of the effluent before it passes to the river. At present it is being done by what cau only be oalled a sort of apology for tbe land treatment. The area, however, is quite insufficient, and it seems difficult to acquire the necessary space without encroaching uncomfortably near re sidential properties. The solution of this difficulty is to be found by substituting properly constructed aerating beds for land treatment if the fall to the river is sufficient. Unfortunately there seems tu be evidence that this fall is not available; if not, to continue the work on the present site involves one of two very costly*remedies i.e., acquiring a large area of land or pumping the whole effluent to the top of the filter beds. It is entirely au engineering question, and therefore cue on which 1 am unable to advise. I can only emphasise the need for a complete reorganisation. To summarise the position, there are two difficulties to overcome- (1) The drainage of the low-lying levels of the town; (2) the enlargement of the tank and treatment beds. The solution would seom to be discoverable in one jf the following proposals, but the ohoioe must depend on the engineering possibilities involved:—(l) To find a site, probably on the Waingawa River, on which a tank and filter beds built on modern hues can be erected and to which the whole of the sewage of the town can be conveyed by gravitation. The present work could then be abandoned,*aud the land ultimately used for other purposes. (2) To have two separate drainage areas, one dealing with the low levelb and gravitating to new treatment r works on the Waingawa River, the other leading aa now to the present tauk which would require to be enlarged or the ground water excluded from the sewers, and (a) proper aerating beds constructed, dependent on fall available, or (b) morn land acquired and regular land treatment adopted, or (o) whole tauk effluent pumped to the aerating beds t if fall to river insufficient. (3) Present system and outfull works retained, subject to alterations as in the second scheme, with (a) pumping station erected iu suoh a position as will enable the low levels of the town to gravitate to a collecting tank from which the sewage can be raised to the septio tank, or (b) the adoption of the Shone system for raising the sewage, from these low levels to the present system. Probably the first scheme, if it be practicable, will prove the most satisfactory, as the others depend '■ upon pumping systems which involve a continuous source of expense, Or Eton moved, and Or Morris seconded, that the report be held over until the Mayor's return. Or Ewington stated that be thought that before the Mayor's return the Engineer might be instructed to take the levels to ascertain whether the town could be drained to the Waingawa River. ( He thought that Dr. Makgill bad not gone far enough in his report; he i ought to have ordered the Oounoil ; to have tbe low-lying portions of the Borough drained. It was no

; use letting matters stand aa they were now. The Council should go to work and obtain all the information they could in the matter. Or Pauling agreed with Cr Ewington's remarks. He added that it would greatly fainl ; tate matters if by the time the'Mayov returned, the necessary levels were available. Or Eton added to hie motion the words "that the Engineer be instructed to obtain all information on the matter before the Mayor's return." The motion was then carried.