The Manawatu Herald. Saturday, August 6, 1910. ARTESIAN WATER SURREY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 875, 6 August 1910, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. Saturday, August 6, 1910. ARTESIAN WATER SURREY.

The Levin Borough Council some time since offered to supply Foxtou with water for domestic and other purposes at 6d per 1000 gallons. In order to avail themselves of this offer Foxton ratepayers would have had to lay 12 to 14 miles of pipes at a cost of any sum between £ 12,000 and reticulation, mid-way pumping station, etc. The local authority, and a large number of ratepayers, expressed the opinion that the scheme was beyond Foxton’s present means. The talked-of Shannon scheme, in our opinion, is also matter for future generations to discuss. If we want a water and drainage scheme —and every citizen who has the wellare of the town at heart says we do — then we must look nearer home for a source of water supply. It has been our opinion all along that either the river or artesian bores must provide us with water if the present generation is to be served with a water and drainage scheme. The Council put down an experimental bore in the triangle. Artesian water was struck at two levels but the flow was disappointing and we have reason to believe that the principal strata runs in a north-easterly direction from the hills and traverses the south end of the town. This opinion is borne out by bores recently put down by the N.Z. Hemp Process and ByProducts Co. Our representative was shown, this week, two bores put down hy the company, and had an interesting conversation with the Technical Director, Mr Richardson, on the question of a borough water supply scheme 1 There are two bores sunk on the company’s property, one a 3inch and the other a 2inch. The bores are about a chain and a half away from each other. “It was not our intention ” said Mr Richardson, “ to put down artesian bores as we hoped that the water loan proposals would be carried, and we intended to draw our supply from the borough, and it was only after the result of the poll that we sunk the, zinch bore. This bore is well into the strata at 193 Yz feet and gives us a flow of 15 gallons per minute on the surface and 6 feet down, 28 gallons to the minute, approximately 40,000 gallons every 24 hours. The 3-inch bore, which is on a 3 feet rise from the second bore, is down feet, flows over 50 gallons to the minute or approximately 70,000 gallons in the 24 hours.” In reply to a query Mr Richardson said he was convinced that the strata ran through the company’s property, “and” he said, “ I am prepared to state that I could put down two more 3 inch bores and supply the borough of Foxton with splendid water at a cost of 2d per 1000 gallons.” We suggested that it would be costly to lift the water into a reservoir. Mr Richrrdson, however, did not think so. He said that most of the elevation could be done by a windmill which should account roughly for 9 out of 14 days pumping and a gas engine and pump could be used for emergency purposes and pumping straight into the mains. The windmill estimate mentioned by Mr Richardson, tallies with the borough artesian well up the Avenue. “ I suppose your company could surpervise the pumping supposing the ratepayers sanctioned the scheme ? ” Mr Richardson said that for a fractional cost he presumed that could be arranged. Mr Richardson said that an artesian scheme appeared to him to be the more feasible and economical offering. We hope the Council will revive the question, and we would suggest that it confer with Mr Richardson on the subject. We might mention that the Council owns land almost opposite to that occupied by the company. It may be objected that the Council has the gas works purchase in hand, but this matter should not

effect the water supply scheme, as the gas venture should not be a burden on the ratepayers.