WAIOHOU WATER SCHEME TURNED DOWN BY BOROUGH

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 13, Issue 78, 22 April 1949, Page 5

WAIOHOU WATER SCHEME TURNED DOWN BY BOROUGH

A proposal by Cr H. G. Warren to tap the Waiohou Stream, at White Fine Bush, as a possible water supply for the Boreugh of Whakatane has been turned down by the Whakatane Borough Council on the recom mendation of Mr C. H. Brebner, county engineer, who recently inspected the proposed site with members of the borough council.

Explaining, in an extensive report, why the stream is unsuitable, Mr Brebner states that the scheme would be uneconomic, apart from its many other bad features. Storage Restricted

Although the country around the dam site appears to be geologically sound, with a .hard rock formation in the bed of the stream extending upwards on both sides, well above the level required, Mr Brebner points out that the gradient of the stream bed rises rapidly upstream from the proposed site, thus, greatly restricting storage capacity. Also, because of the sandy nature of the country above would tend to silt up after heavy rain. •

"The catchment area would have to be of considerable size, and even ,so, the country surrounding that catchment area and draining into it, is suitable for farming purposes and will almost certainly be taken up for that purpose in the future,” the

engineer continues. "This is an undesirable feature.

“The dam site is extremely difficult of access and the cost of laying a pipe line from the dam to the flat country below would be excessive.”

The elevation of the site above Whakatane is 220 feet and with a pipe of sufficient size would be adequate height for a gravitation system, Mr Brebner adds. But in installying such a scheme, he points out, that provision would have to be made for the future and a consequent increase in population. •

Increased Population With a population of 15,000 . the minimum pipe line would have to be one of 16 inches diameter. He shows on what data he bases this and then deducts that the draw-off per minute would be about 1,600 gallons. Mr Brebner concludes: “With the information I have I am not prepared to give even an approximate cost of the scheme, but it would, be excessive, and in my opinion uneconomic, .apart from its bad features, and I would, therefore, not recommend it.”

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