EASTBOURNE'S WANTS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 980, 22 November 1910, Page 3

EASTBOURNE'S WANTS.

.' WATER AND DRAINAGE. REPORTS BY MR. R. L.MESTAYER. POLL TO BE TAKEN IN JANUARY. Vot some years past the borough of .Eastbourne has been agitated about a water supply, but though there' was a good deal of" talk about the subject, little that was practical was done until this year, when a report was obtained from Air. K. a. Bounthwaite on the matter of a water scheme which would fulfil present and future requirements of the borough. In that report, written on July 9,•Mγ. Rounthwaite stated that he had inspected the ridge through which it was proposed to tunnel to bring the water through the hill from Gollan's Valley, which the engineer said "seemed to be the only sufficient supply which can be made available for your borough at a reasonable cost." He proposed to conduct the water from the stream by means of a race through a tunnel of 21.33 chains (with a shallow well and overflow on the western side of the hill). He allowed for 80 chains of concrete;covered water-race, jute-wrapped steel. pipes, or Alannermann tubes (9 inches), and sixinch pipes from', the west end of the tunnel to the west end of Nikau Street. With a velocity of sft. per second this would give a supply of, 40 gallons per head per diem over a period of 16 hours. '-"I estimate," said Mr. Eounthwaite, "the cost of carrying oift the works at ■£32G0, allowing a margin of five per cent, for contingencies, and allowing also for engineering charges and clerk of works supervision, but exclusive of any compensation for lands taken, and of the cost of a water meter (,£130). The annual payment to be. made for interest and sinking fund 'on ,£3260 at 4 l-3rd. per cent, will be £W, or equivalent to onethird of a penny in the £ on the unimproved value of .£106,000."

Mr. Mcstayer's Report. Mr. Mestayer, in his report, dated November 16," states that he tested the. Gollan's Valley stream and found, the inflow to be 600 gallons per minute. This was taken at the beginning of the present month, but the information he obtained appeared to indicate that there was not much falling-oft' in the How in dry weather. "In order to minimise the risk of failure in the supply from snch. causes, I propose (said the engineer) to put a dam of ten feet in "height across tho valley, being approximately one hundred chains from junction of Gollan's Stream, >rith main left-hand branch, which will impound about two and a half million gallons available for use, ■ and thus eervo as a reserve against any dry periods. The water level nt. the dam will be about 207 feet above ground level at the junction of Nikau Street with Main Road, and in order to conserve the head, and obtain, the maximum pressure in tho town'ship, I propose to convey tho water from the intake in ten-inch steel pipes to the foot of tho dividing ridge, between the main stream and left-hand branch, thence up the' valley of the latter stream'for a distance of about thirty chains, connecting with the line of tunnel already proposed. Tho main ridge at back of township will be pierced by a tunnel eighteen chains in length, through which tho teninch pipes will be conveyed; by this means a supply of 400 gallons per minute will be available at this point, which is 187 feet above ground level at junction of Nikau Street and Main Road, giving a pressure at. the' lowest levels in the town of 801b. .per. square inch, a pressure amply, sufficient for such houses as are at present in existence, or, so' far as I can ascertain, contemplated.. In future, however, if houses, are built on the higher levels, a small service reservoir conld bo constructed at any suitable height above tho tunnel, into which the water would have to be pumped. This could be done at night, so as not to interfere with the supply to the lower levels. At night the actual pressure in the borough available for fire extinction will bo between 80 and 881b. per square inch, and, of course; this pressure could be at any time con'centrnted on any area in which a Cro occurred, by shutting down some, or all, of the valves governing the otter areas. "I consider that the above proposals will afford a satisfactory supply toj a population of nearly 5000, but by raising the dam another five feet, and putting in a service-reservoir, at the valley end of the tunnel,' of a capacity of 250,000. gallons, the schemo could supply a population of about 10,000, provided that the stream Hows did not fall below 400 gallons.per minute in dry weather, and that this amount could be taken from it without opposition from property-owners lower down tho valley. As your ratepayers aro interested in the property on the east side of the tunnel, the. valley, I understand, being a domain, a suggestion has been made to increase the size of the tunnel, to enable it to be made use of for pedestrian trnffic ' : «ave gono into the question of extra cost, and find that to construct a tunnel of the- necessary dimensions will increase the cost by about Sewerag2. "Gravitation being out of the question, I had to consider tho best means available as a source of power, and, putting aside steam, gas, and oil plants, on account of the amount of labour and cost of fuel involved in their maintenance, 1 have decided to recomienm the adoption of the hydraulic sewajje lifts, manufactured by Messrs. Glcnheld and Kennedy, of ICilinarnock. These .lifts are operated by' the water pressure in the mains, they are automatic, and labour is therefore reduced to a minimum; they act only when there is sufficient sewage to start them, and stop so soon as the supply- of sewage, fails, so that, there is no waste of water; and by keeping the pumping'head low the amount of water required to work them can bo reduced to about one-third of tho sewage actually pumped. Seeing that all the sewage has to be raised by, tho pressure, of water in the ordinary service mains, it is essential that nothing but sewage should be taken into the sewers.. Cost of Works. Mr. Mestayer estimates the cost of works' described at .£16,425, made up as follows:- ■ Water Supply. . £ 1. Head works, 10in. steel main and •tunnel -3,935 2. lleticulation mains, valves, etc. 3,344 IjD"al expenses, supervision, and contingencies, 10 per cent 727 Engineering, 5 per cent 304 Total • • -£8,360 Sewerage. £ 1. Septic tank and outfall sewer... 450 2 Stoneware pipe se\ycrs, 6in., Bin., and 9in., including manholes, etc •••• *.183 3. Hydraulic lifts, and rising main 2,380 Legal expenses, supervision, and contingencies, 10 per cent 700 Engineering, 5 per cent. 350 Total .•■» ■■ -£8.065 Grand total .£16,425 Xoan proposals.for a water and sewerage scheme, based Dn the information contained in the reports supplied to the borough are to he submitted to the ratepayers towards tho end of January.