IMPURE WATER.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 231, 29 September 1928, Page 12

IMPURE WATER.

CHLORINATION NECESSARY. POSITION NOT ALARMING. (By Telegraph.—Own 'Jorrespondent.) MORRINSVILLE, Friday. For several months the Morrinsville Borough Council has been aware that the town water supply was contaminated, but did not deem it advisable to inform the townspeople and create a ''scare." The Mayor (Mr. W. McPherson) made the facts public last night, stating that there was no need for alarm, and that every possible step had been taken by the council.

For some time unsatisfactory reports had been received regarding tlie bacteriological examination of the.water, said the Mayor. It had been suggested that the difficulty would be got over by fencing the catchment area, and thus minimising the risk of contamination from outside sources. However, this would only defer the day when a purification plant would have to be put ill, and the £200 it would be necessary to spend fencing would only be thrown away. It was thought that the contamination might be in the dam itself, and not in the running water above. Samples were taken and analysed, but the samples from the latter were worse than tlie water in the dam, therefore the contamination came from above.

The engineer had been making inquiries of plants that could be used, particularly as regards gaseous chlorination. Exhaustive reports on various systems had been received, and the engineer was now awaiting final particulars pending the submission of a report. If gasocus chlorination was gone in for the cost would not be above that of fencing— £200. This system of water purification had proved successful in recent years, and was a great improvement on the old methods of chlorination. By these the colour and taste of the water were affected, and often dechlorination was riecessarv.

However, there was no need for anyone to get alarmed. The borough water had had no deleterious effect so far, but the council had to guard against the position that would arise in an epidemic, when weakened systems, might lay people open to feel the effects of the water. The engineer had gone into the position very fully, with the object of getting the best plant available under the circumstances.