VANDALISM AT RESERVOIR

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27395, 7 July 1954, Page 6

VANDALISM AT RESERVOIR

2,500,000 GALLONS OF WATER LOST VALVE SPINDLE TURNED AT NIGHT "The Press" Special Service AUCKLAND, July «. Two and a half million gallons of water were lost from the new service reservoir on Mount Hobson, Auckland, through what the City Engineer (hfr A. J. Dickson-) described as an act of sheer vandalism. The police have been asked to investigate. The 4,000,000-gallon reservoir has been under construction for the last two years. It had reached the testing stage and a valve had been left partly open to enable the interior to be sterilised before filling.

Mr Dickson said the valve had been given a single turn on Thursday so that one of the two compartments would fill overnight to a maximum depth of three feet. During the night someone gave the valve spindle—it is in full view from Mount Hobson lane —l4 turns.

The water rose rapidly in one compartment, overflowed into the other, and entered the pumping station by means of uncompleted pipework. The pumphouse was flooded to a depth of 12 feet and the water flowed through an inspection gallery manhole, down Mount Hobson lane, a steep street, and on to railway land. It passed through a couple of private properties, but no damage was reported. A turncock discovered the flood at 6.30 a.m. on Friday. New pumping equipment, including motors, starters, and other electrical gear, was stored in crates in the pumphouse. It was saturated and will take some time to dry out.