Borough Water Supply

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20114, 7 December 1939, Page 16

Borough Water Supply

Sir,—Mr. Leslie Reynolds deserves more than the thanks of the community for coming forward in connection with this question. His statement in the Herald shows that there is plenty of water in the Waingake catchment area, and indeed a little thought should make this plain even to a borough councillor. Up till now the smaller branch of the creek has sufficed and it should not be impossible to utilise now the other branch, which Mr. Reynolds favoured 40 years ago as the main source of water. The unused branch has twice the catchment area of the one in use so that with the same precipitation and run-off there should be available a total supply three times the quantity used at present—sufficient 'for three times the population—if the storage were available and the pipe there to take the water.to Gisborne. The Vickerman report says that the' inadequacy of the main is the stumbling block. This present pipe can deliver 1,200,000 gallons per day or 438,000,000 gallons per year. At 70 gallons per head per day—the approximate present consumption—l(3,ooo people' would use 1,120,000 gallons per day or 80,000 gallons less than the pipe can deliver. In other words the present pipe could deliver close on 30,000,000 gallons per year more' than the 16,000’ people -require at the present rate of ; consumption. The Waingake supply is thus more than equal to present requirements if proper storage is provided and with a duplication of the present pipe would more than cope with double the population—and we are not likely to exceed a population .of 30,000 for a good many years yet. TAUMATA.