THE ARTESIAN SCHEME.

Hutt News, Volume 2, Issue 34, 30 January 1930, Page 11

THE ARTESIAN SCHEME.

If we are to adopt this scheme it will be necessary to construct a reservoir on the eastern hills arid to sink additional wells, with pumping installation on the floor of the valley some-j where in tie industrial area, or adjacent to it to the north. Ths cost of this installation and .pumping costs must be 1 added to our present charges for water in . order to arrive at acoinparison. of. the schemes. The coat uf our present water supply is as follows:— To interest and sinking fund on £7000 at 6.per cent being interest and sinking fund on wells, plant, pumping station and land, but not reservoir or reticulation. ~. £420 Power supplied (1928-29) to pump 331 million gallons .. .'.".■'£576 Salaries, wages, repairs and. rnainienanee, certificates, etc ~ £689 ■..'.'■•■ -. £1685 The service reservoir capacity is 720,----->QO gallons. This supplied 12,000 persons without any reptrictions whatever during 1928-29, including filling of baths and fire fighting giving an average consumption of 53 gallons: per head. - • • -Maximum consumption was in Febru--«,ry 01.3 gallons per heo.d. Minimuin •consumption was in September 41.7 gal-, lons per head. '. . -. \■■'. To this must be added the cost of additional plant to be ejected on east side of valley as follows: —

Construction of reservoir 500,000 gallon capacity .. . . £7500 Note— (Allowance for purchase of neee-Sr sary land not made) •. .'. £600 Pump , .. . . .. £500 Standby pump . . ... .. £800 Pttniping Station ... .. £800 Wells .. .... - ..£IOOO Rising main, P.S to reservoir say £1600 , . £12,000 Thus, interest and sinking fund on £12,000 at 7J per cent .. £900 Pumping charges, power, maintenance and wages .. 7 ... £800 Present cost of water supply .. £1685

Total annual cost — £3385

CITY AND SUBURBAN SCHEME

Firstly, the pressure in tiie mains at Lower Hutt will be 168.1b3 per square inch minimism, and this is too high a pressure .-for- the borough - mains -and must, therefore, be broken down • at Lower Hutt. This will necessitate a reservoir /As the: present reticulating mains are too small to give an-adequate pressure:!:; ion, the^ieafe'tern . Si'3e of iXte Valley as the residential and industrial expansion increases, as it.is doing even now, the old reservoir wiii not answer that purpose and a new one will be necessary as- is the case with t^e artesian scheme on the eastern hills.

Presumably the City v mains will pass down. t>he western side .of the Valley, probably along the iailwayy and so a H.P. supply main will also be necessaiy to connect them to the new reservoir, a distance of appToximately 2^ miles. This main cannot be used to redistribute the water from the reservoir and an additional .distributing main from the reservoir will also he required.

Before entering into tae financial aspect of the City scheme as set forth by tie figures before the Ttfater Board, we have to' make provision - for uhese works, roughly estimated as follows:-—' Reservoir, a3 in artesian scheme, £750U; H.P. supply main 21 miles, bay, £7000; Distributing main-, '.pproximately &3500. Total £16,000..

Now the cost of the Clip and Swbur'ban &f.heme including ail charejfs will be £45,000 per annum. i:his provides for v. supply of 10,000,00 g&u'Jj's per day, or 3,650,000,000 pet annum.

Hutt Borough :With a population estimated at .17,800 will consume in, 1934, 1,424,000 gallons per day, of, 5191? 60----000 gallons per annum :»t. 80 gallons per iead- per diem.•; Based on estimated populations the Hutt ahare will be in 1934, 1,085,366' gallons per day, and its cost £4894 per annum. .

As, however, we must make provision for the supply of out quantity defijjieney under the Hutt . scheme, i.e., 338,634 gallons per diem, it will prove cheaper to f>uirip this quantity from our artesian supply at a daily cost of £1/0/7, or, £375/13/-, psr annum.

l^Tote: —Plant must be run at intervals to keep it in order and-for 4his reason" also saving in wages has not been taken into account.

The total cost in 1934 to borpugh is, therefore,. £5314 -plus ,£375/13/- for,, 1,424,000. per diem—£s6B9/13/:. Deducting the saving in current, used, say, £200-r^£s4B9/13/ • per amiiim.

The cost per 1000 gallons, how-ayer, must be considered;after tlie total «pst of eaca scheme is;, considered, as follows:— ~ ."' , The financial position of this scheme* is, therefore that we should have "to meet: — .[_ Interest and . sinking fund on - £1600 at 7* per cent ..; £1200 Plus cost as previously ssnted. £5490 per annum £6690 In the light of these figGTes'the aTtesian scheme shows a saving of £<5690 —£3385—-£3305 or 100 par cent. > .;. ! It "must be clearly .understood that a site for the proposed-- ujw reservoir has not yet been fixed aid its position will, to a great' extent, determine the ! length" of supply main from pumping station to reservoir,- as, also, will tie actual position of the pumping station.

The figures given may, then, easily be a £1000 or more out either way, b,tit as this will only represent a matter of £75 to £100 per annum difference in cost it does not affect the issue/to any significant extent., " .

""^he^situation. of the City and Suburban mains will also affect tie position to a certain extent, it is impossible to1 see to w&at extent with the InfoTmation at my disposal but no appreciable diff-

erenee will be made in the cost figures given. The Mayor moved that the City and Suburban "Water Board be notified that the Council had decided not to come into the scheme. Cr.- Campbell, in seconding the resolution, congratulated the engineer Mr BusIl)- on his very cleaT and lucid report;. Th^e motion was carried ananimously.