The Karori Service Reservoir.

Progress, 1 October 1907, Page 433

The Karori Service Reservoir.

We call this the Karon reservoir because it is near the dam known as the Karon dam though, as a matter of fact, the Karon dam is not at Karon at all. But that is a minor detail. This dam stands on the hill above the plantations at a height of 720 feet above sea le\el. Standing alongside, one realises that the site dominates most of Karori, all of Kelburne, and a great part, if not all, of Northland. From that the transition to the general system of city water supply is simple. Here we are at the highest point from which other service reservoirs may be supplied at any points where they may be found to be necessary. One can mark the spots all round. They are at Wadestown, a little beyond Northland and round by Karori The mind travels round by the east and north of the city now denominated " Greater Wellington " It is at once evident to any eye, gifted with even a moderate idea of levels, that Greater Wellington has the command of thewhole situation, and that, therefore, to Greater Wellington must the district look in the future for its water for dramage and supply One sees— with the assistance of ,the engineer, who has come up to these elevated regions, and is answering all questions with urbanity and fulness of knowledge and clear ness of explanatory power— the limits ot the present gravitation service, say^Roseneath by the harbour, GoHie's Brae further round, and Crofton away inland the furthest point at which the city can do anything in the water line just at present. Clearly, more service reservoirs, and those, too, of the pumping order, must be supplied presently.' This one by which we are standing will be a pumping reservoir, of course. It will have machinery of a capacity of 500 gallons per minute, and it can be connected with other reservoirs to deliver a similar quantity without the need for setting up vast central reservoirs anywhere By the way, the machinery is te be an electrically driven multi-stage turbine pump from the works of Mather and Platt, of the Salford Ironworks, Manchester. When it gets to work, there will be no heartburnings on the higher levels and water and drainage of the up-to-date order will take the place of the present makeshifts, lhe new reservoir will be levoted to pumping en tirely from the Karori side, which section of our water supply is to be kept entirely for the benefit of the dwellers on the high levels, j