"THINGS IN IT."

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 223, 19 September 1940, Page 6

"THINGS IN IT."

WATER THAT SMELLS. IN DARKEST NORTH SHORE. (By W.G.P.) They had one of their good days on the North Shore yesterday—one of those red-letter days when the water flows clear from the tap and, from a distance, even looks like water. "What a pity you came to-day," said a pleasant Takapuna housewife. "Yesterday it looked like anaemic beer. Would you like to taste to-day brew?" Having never Sampled, the famous Pupuke' water, and deluded by its sparkling appearance, I sipped warily, then handed the glass back. It tasted like everybody had told me it, would taste—foul. Tt smelt vaguely of swamps. In fact, taste and smell conjured up visions of dank marshes. But there is more to it than that. Thie housewife had merely invited me to draw my own conclusions. "We often get 'things' in the bath," she added. "Little squiggly things. Fish, we call them." Having heard of the fauna said to inhabit this water supply, I resolved to test the stories at first hand. The bath was filled. And there were the "thinge;" little brown fellows like niinnto flics. Larger specimens were identified off-handcdlv as "weed."

"We pet lots of that," said the housewife. "And there do not seem to foe as many fish as usual to-day. We get quite an assortment."

From this mild indictment of a water supply that has I>cen the subject of continuous criticism for many years, I vieiU'd, at random, other homes in Taknpmia, Milford and Devonport. In some the indictment was not so mild. NV»'body had a word of commendation for the water supply. Everybody said, with varying forcefulness, that "something should, be done about it." Tank Water Popular. "It is a disgrace that we should have to put up with this muck," said a young married woman. "I cannot give it to my baby, of course, even if it is boiled. There is always a sediment. I have to. borrow tank water." The borrowing of tank water appear* to be widespread. The neighbours of people possessing tanks often drop in for a jugful. Apparently nolbody makes a practice of drinking the water unboiled. Many home-owners have, in recent years—and months —acquired tanks. One man is putting down an artesian bore. The habits of the people are changing. When the water is particularly bad, and I was assured that wasfrequently in recent weeks —even tea is j tainted. New Zoalanders love their tea, yet here is what a Takaipuna woman said: "We have had to give up tea altogether. Now we drink coffee." Another said: "I have always preferred weak tea, without sugar. Now I have to drink it strong,, with sugar." Sugar, it seems, takes away some,of the taint. Yet another. woman said the only time she drank'tea now was when she went to the city. "I was dying for a cup of te,a the other day, but it tasted eo foul that I threw it away and tried a lemon drink instead," she said." An older resident, in Milford, merely shrugged her shoulders when asked to comment. "We have grown so used to it that we find city water tasteless stuff," she said. Housewives had much to say about the water apart from not drinking it. Here are a few of their remarks: "It stains the bath." "When it is very dirty the clothee come out a queer colour—the sediment seems to boil in." "It taints potatoes and cauliflower." "It is hard to get a decent lather." Bath Salts in Demand. On the question of bathing it was clear that most women regarded the water with a measure of abhorrence. "It is possible to disguise the water with bath, salts," said one woman. "But even then I do not enjoy my bath." "I just slip in and slip out,* , said another.

A Takapuna flat-dweller, formerly of Bayswater, said the wave of odour from the steam in the bathroom was sometimes sickening. It was like a lethal dose of marsh gas, he said. In Bayswater he had found the water just as 'bad.

Most serious complaint came from Devonport. Although there have been many official pronouncements that the water is not harmful to health, two women said they were positive it had affected the health of children. "It is hard to stop young children going to the tap and I am sure it m the water that makes them ill," said one. "Elder children do not need to be told not to drink it."

The Mayor of Takapuna, Mr. J. Guiniven, who is also a member of the North Shore Water Board, said: "The smell, colour and sediment are due to the weeds at the lake, which have got out of hand.

"The level of water has fallen, exposing large areas of weed. This poses and is washed by rain into the water. Then it is blown by the wind near the intake. This, in my opinion, is too near the edge of the lake. II should be away from the weed.

"A contract has been let for a big filtering plant costing £15,000. This will not be available until the end of the summer. But I have been assured that temporary filters will be operartin" by Christmas. v °

"In the meantime the level of the lake is dropping, and the boroughs which, draw upon it are growing. In the future the problem will have to be faced again."