MORE WATER.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19165, 23 November 1927, Page 5

MORE WATER.

FOR RICCARTON BOROUGH. £31,500 LOAN PROPOSED. At present Riccarton be-rough has no high pressure water supply; individual householders have their own artesian wells. The Council is taking a poll of ratepayers on a proposal to install hig.h pressure supply over the whole of the borough. The scheme is estimated to cost £31.300. Last night the Riccarton Citizens' Association held a special meeting in order to hear the scheme outlined by Cr. R. H. Rankin, chairman of the Water Supply Committee. Mr R. \V. Brighting presided over a small attendance. Cr. Rankin said that the loan covered the total works required to complete a modern and efficient high pressure system for the whole borough v sufficient for domestic supply, fire protection, and other public services such as channel flushing, street watering, and sanitation. The source of supply would be a 4-inch artesian well, sunk to a depth of 180 ft, with connexions to a suction tank capable of holding 60,000 gallons. A 1-inch diameter well registered from tho 180 ft level a flow of 100 gallons per minute at the surface, with a rise of 9ft- It was proposed to tap that supply at 9ft below the- surface as the How at that depth would be 200 gallons per minute and sufficient to supply 30 gallons per head per day to 9000 persons. It was estimated that at the expiration of the term of the loan, the population of the borough would have increased to that figure. The estimates provided for a second well of 'similar diameter should there be any falling off of the supply in the future. A connexion to the City Council's supply was allowed for, and this would be made at a suitable point .on Lincoln road with two branch pipes, each fitted with a meter. This would give a pressure of 901b to the square inch, sufficient for all firefighting purposes. The estimates of the loan were as follows:—Suction tank £590, pumping plant £1250, a meter £4OO, concrete pump house £450, wells, connexions, etc., £SOO, reticulation £25,000, connexion to City supply £450, 11 per cent, contingencies and engineering expenses £2860; total, £31,500 The annual charges allowed for totalled £3373 15s, said Cr. Rankin, and a rate of 2d in the £1 on the unimproved value, on the new valuations, would be necessary to meet this amount. This rate was based on the assumption that three-fourths of the residents would connect up with the supply. The sinking fund would extinguish the loan in 25J years. The.« average property in the borough was valued at £l5O, unimproved value, and the average rate would be 25s a year. Two insurance companies had assured the Council that in the event of tho loan being carried, the insurance rates i would be lowered by £1 per £IOOO of insurance. Mr A. Hurdley enquired if there was | any information as to the number of houses lacking a sufficient supply of water. The reply was that in quite an extensive part of the northern area of the borough there was a serious shortage of water. "I will endeavour to ascertain how many ratepayers are thus affected," said Cr. Rankin. Mr Hurdley stated that that was the most important fact that the ratepayers could get in order to judge as to the need for the scheme- . Cr. Rankin exhorted the ratepayers to take a broad view. Fire protection was necessary, and a good water supply was required if the district was to progress as well as the neighbouring suburbs. In answer to a question, Cr. Rankin said that the insurance companies had not committed themselves definitely to a reduction in insurance. The whole scheme will be discussed again at a public meeting to-morrow night.