THE CITY’S WATER. RESERVOIRS AND MAINS.
WORK DONE DURING YEAR.
CITY ENGINEER’S ANNUAL REPORT.
Some interesting information on the waterworks and water supply of the City of Wellington is contained in the annual report of the City Engineer (Mr. W. H. Morton) on the subject.
During the year 737 new connections were made, including 177 in the City, 18 in Roseneath, 57 in Island Bay, 119 in Brooklyn, 226 in Kilbirnie, 27 in Kelburne, and 113 in Northland. Over seven and a-half miles of new mains were laid down and over a mile and a-half of new connections.
HIGH LEVEL SYSTEM.
Statistics are given of the consumption of water on the higher levels of Brooklyn and Kelburne, supplied from their respective high level reservoirs.
“The total number of connections laid in Brooklyn from November, 1907, to March, 1911, is 699; in Kelburne, from February, 1907, to March, 1911, 342. The approximate average consumption per head of water used per year is: Brooklyn, 3809 gallons; Kelburne, 6598 gallons; average per day per head, 10½ gallons for Brooklyn as against 18 gallons for Kelburne.
The maximum consumption recorded in one day at Brooklyn was 63,256 gallons; at Kelburne 68,086 gallons,—giving an estimated maximum consumption per head per day of 21 gallons for Brooklyn and 38 for Kelburne.”
The City Engineer adds a note that the consumption of water in Brooklyn is greatly increasing owing to the completion of the sewerage system.
RAINFALL.
The amount of rainfall during the year at the Karori reservoir was 46.25 in.; for the Wainui reservoir 62.56 in., while the number of wet days at Karori was 138, as against 158 at Wainui.
On 97 days the reservoir was overflowing at Karori, and all the year round at Wainui. The consumption of water from Wainui, as recorded by the Venturi meter, was 917,000,000 gallons during the year, or an average of 76,425,000 gallons per month, or 2,537,623 gallons per day.
A new intake has been erected at the Karori reservoir, and improvements have been carried out at the head of the old reservoir which have prevented the water from being contaminated by vegetable matter and deposit—a trouble in the past.
During the year pressure maintaining tanks were erected at Coromandel-street and Hataitai, and this work has been of benefit in securing a continuous supply to houses on the higher levels.
PUMPING STATIONS.
The total number of gallons pumped into the Brooklyn high-level reservoir during the twelve months was 13,304,817 gallons, at a cost of 7.908d per 1000 gallons.
Similar figures at Kelburne were 12,283,939 gallons pumped at a cost of 6.37d per 1000 gallons.
