CORRESPONDENCE. CITY WATER SUPPLY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 44, 20 January 1938, Page 8

CORRESPONDENCE.

CITY WATER SUPPLY.

(To the Editor.)

Sir.—Complaints as to the quality of : water for general purposes are naturally a little exaggerated. I have been drinking water—when I could.not get milk—for nearly 80 years, and, apart from the' local supply being slightly discoloured at times, the general, health of its consumers indicates that it is drinkable. Its temperature at present is approximately 71 deg. This is probably 2 or 3 degrees above.normal and can easily be attributed to the excessive hot weather. There has doubtless been some disturbance in the supply at the intake of the pipe-line, and, unless a floating intake is used, it is quite possible that the accumulation of silt is now too. near the mouth of the intake pipe. In this case the sludge-pipe, if one has been provided to flush the silt from the bottom of the reservoir before it reaches the intake, should, if applied, remove the main source of complaint in a few hours and without any disturbance of the remaining water in the dam. The sludge-pipe, or its equivalent, has prpbably been omitted in the construction, otherwise there would have been less cause for recent complaints. A portable siphon would answer the same purpose, and worked from a raft could deal with a big area and avoid the necessity of emptying the dam. Flushing of the mains should not be done except during a minimum demand for water, lest the increased velocity in the main draw in a flush of objectionable matter at its source.— I am, etc., C. H. MASON.