WAINUI RESERVOIR.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 129, 24 February 1908, Page 7

WAINUI RESERVOIR.

TIIREE=FOOT LIMIT.

PROBABLY REACHED TO-DAY. Wellington listened with eager liopo to tlm patter of ruin on the roofs on Saturday night, but tho showers 1 that. fell "were not enough to make any noticeable differenco to tho parched gardens, or to savo tho situation in regard t-o the--water supply:,.. The rain-gauge measured only 3 points, or tlireehundredths of an inch. . Tho level of tho water in tho Wainui-o-niata Reservoir on Saturday was 34 inches below tho crest of the by-wash, and by,the timo these lines appear in print it will probably havo fallen to three feet from' that point. It follows tliat under the resolution passod by tho City.Council, at its last meeting, tho use of water for certain industrial purposes will now be stopped. Forbidcten Uses. . The following are the purposes ; for, which tho city water inay.'not bo .'used:— • • . Hydraulic lifts. Water ejectors. Hydraulic motors Smithy blasts. ' " A .Bowling greens. Ornainontal purposes. - ■ Washing windows' by . li'osirig. Hydraulic machinery which does not take tho water continuously direct from the mains will not bo affected, as/in theso : cases tho. water is used over arid "over ; again.' This applies to certain elevators, and to the Harbour Board's hydraulic cranes.

How the Authorities will Act. ! '. 1 ' If tho timo has "come"for putting- the. three-foot resolution' into - operation; the fact will be officially announced by advertisement in tho newspapers, and consumers. will bo notified in that manner ;that the :use ''of water for. any of tho- above-named-purposes' 'is prohibited. No separato notices, by circular or otherwise, are required to be given, and it is not necessary:thaft any..interval'< f time should elapse between :tho ii publication of the advertisement and tho coming into force of the prohibition. The City Inspectors will bo at once instructed to take afctionfor broach of the by-laws against any persons or firms using tho municipal water for any of tho forbidden purposes. There, I will, of courso, be no actual cuttiiig-off.of the'watei-: What May Happen Next. If tho situation still grows worse, tho use of tho water for a number of other purposes may bo prohibited. „ ThoCouneilhas power,, under tho Municipal Corporations Act, to stop all "extraordinary: supplies." ; This torm includes water for breweries,, laundries, "baths, milk-shops, dairies,, sanitary appliances, and several other purposes. - • It will bo realised that nothing but dire necessity will'cause the authorities to. forbid': tho uso of water in -such riecessary'ways "as are .indicated by some of the; items-on this list, but if tho dir.'weather continues it-Is. quite likely that there' will 1 be' some 'further restriction of the use of water for industrial purposes. Another line of defenco- against the threatening waten i'amino might be found in the shutting-off'..'of all supplies during' certain ' hours every day, but it is hoped that that can bo aVoided, as it is very undesirable from the standpoint of fire •'protection. , •