AUCKLAND'S WATER SUPPLY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1415, 16 April 1912, Page 6

AUCKLAND'S WATER SUPPLY.

A HUGE DAM. (By Telegraph.—Special Correspondent.! Auckland, April 15, The City of Auckland now possesses a water supply that should suffice for its needs for a long time- to come, and members of the City Council who visited the Waitakerc Ranges on Saturday were well pleased with tlio works. The completed dam at AVaitakere Falls covers 64 acres of ground, and holds 220,000,000 gallons of water. The site is 240 ft. above the Pom sonby reservoir, ami 175 ft. above tie Khyber Pass Reservoir. Naturally tue force of water in the pipes is tremendous, and its regulation is attended to by tie back pressure tank, which restrains the, supply at times'when there is danger of waste. The city has a rapaoious monthj For the your ending March SI last it used. up 1,539,002,000 gallons. The maximum consumption for one day was 5,600,000 pallons, and the averse consumption 4.260,. 000 gallons. The dam alone cost £29,1)00 to construct. To clear the space cofti .£IOOO to supply 16 miles of pipes costf £G2,500, and to lay 14 miles cort £TM. The distance from the dam to Ponsonby is 16 miles along tho same ranges, but on a different watershed. The City Council will shortly commence tho construction of a new'dam at Nihotaipti, which will hold 700.000,000 gallons. This will give a total stornpo of 1)20,01)0,000 pillons, With that quantity the town will have. 10,000,000 gallons a day for 90 days with-, out any rain and exclusive of runnius water. There is also Hie water to fall, back on in tho Euia Eescrvo of 15,000 acres.