Water Supply Improvements.
The City Council decided last evening, on the recommendation of the Public Works Committee, that the 12-inch water-main in Willis Street, near Ingestre Street, be extended to a spot above the distributing basin at Polhill Gully, so as to connect with the main from the Karori reservoir in order that the pressure may be maintained over the city during the time water is cut off from Wainui-o-mata for the purpose of executing necessary repairs on the occasion of bursts, etc.
It was also agreed to order the necessary material from England at once. The City Surveyor, in reporting to the Public Works Committee upon the subject, states that the effect of this work, when carried out, will be “to obtain the head of pressure direct from the reservoir itself instead of only from the distributing basin as at present; and I am perfectly satisfied that a pressure equal to that obtained from the Wainui-o-mata supply will be able to be maintained all over the city, so that when it becomes necessary to cut off the water from Wainui-o-mata the whole of the city will be supplied with water from Karori, instead of the water only reaching to the lower levels as at present, and even then only at a moderate pressure, which is not sufficient for motive power, etc., thereby causing no end of complaint and inconvenience.
On Monday morning last, the 31st ult., one of the joints in the 2½-inch main on the Hutt Road was leaking so badly that it became necessary to shut off the water from Wainui-o-mata for a few hours. The supply from Polhill Gully was turned on, and the pressure registered at the storeyard between 10 a.m. and 11.30 a.m. was only 43 lb per square inch, as against a pressure of 95 lb per square inch from Wainui-o-mata registered on the 27th ultimo at the same place, and during the actual period of the day, and I submit that if this scheme as suggested had been in operation, the pressure would not have been reduced.
And in view of it becoming necessary very shortly to shut off the water altogether from Wainui-o-mata in order to effect the necessary repairs to the concrete race reported on by me at the last meeting of the Council, I would strongly urge the necessity of at once putting this work in hand, and ordering the pipes from the Old Country without further delay, and especially while the price for pipes is so very low.
Up to the present time some £210,000 has been expended on the two supplies, and the estimated cost of this work (£1800) is so very trifling when it is taken into consideration the great boon it will be, if carried out, to the community at large, and more especially to those residing on the higher levels, not to speak of its inestimable value should a fire happen to break out in the city while the Wainui-o-mata supply was out of order.
I estimate the storage capacity of the reservoir at Karori to be sufficient to supply the city for about four weeks at the present rate of consumption. I would here also again beg to remind the Council as to the necessity of securing the whole of the watershed at Wainui-o-mata above the dam. I would also recommend that as soon as possible telephonic communication be made between the caretaker’s cottage at Wainui-o-mata and Wellington.”
Councillor Young, at whose request the above report was read last evening, remarked that the Councillors were to be congratulated upon having such an excellent report placed before them. It solved the difficult problem of having water supplied to the high levels of the city whenever that from the Wainui-o-mata dam was cut off.
The Council approved of the recommendation of the committee that steps be taken to acquire the remainder of the land forming the watershed at Wainui-o-mata.
