This pipe may have functioned as a scour pipe from the old pipeline. It is hidden in the bush near an old maintenance track.
This scour pipe is hidden within the dense bush, making it difficult to spot even up close as it resembles a fallen tree trunk. The pipe extends over a bank, allowing water to flow down into a natural gully below. Tracing the pipe back to its origin, it appears to enter the main bank above, likely connecting to the old water pipe buried within.
Although the exact purpose of this pipe is unclear, it is evidently part of the Lower Dam system, suggesting it is an older piece of the waterworks infrastructure. It may have been used to drain water from the main pipeline to flush out debris and dirt, particularly after heavy flooding.
Next to the pipe, there is plumbing with gears, likely used to divert water from the main pipe into the scour pipe. Additionally, a trench crosses perpendicularly under the pipe, though its purpose is uncertain, as the water pipe would have released water further down the hillside from the trench. One possible explanation is that the trench was initially dug to route the old pipeline around a natural spur but was later abandoned in favour of tunnelling through the spur instead.
Special thanks to Lance Stewart for the location of the sampling pipe.
