THE WELLINGTON WATER SUPPLY.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 4928, 8 January 1877, Page 2

THE WELLINGTON WATER SUPPLY.

A visit to the source from which Wellington is supplied with water is just now particularly interesting. There are so many complaints as to shortness of supply, and the blame for this is so impartially laid, at the' door of everyone connected with the management of our municipality, that an opinion is pretty generally prevalent that the Mayor, City Council, and Corporation officials are purposely withholding from the city a proper supply of water. Now if anyone would take the tronble to cross the range of hills running parallel to Willis-street, into the valley where runs the small stream on which Wellington is dependent for water, he would be astonished, not at the somewhat' scanty quantity now coming in, but that there is even so much -water available for domestic use as is placed at the disposal of the citizens. A dam, similar to that which a settler might put up in his paddock in order that his ducks might have a swim, has in it a little water, so limited in quantity that ah earnest Good Templar anxious to give a'practical proof of his tenets might easily drink the dam dry in an evening. Into this dam runs a stream whicfe the dry weather has attenuated until half a sluice-head of water seems to running down it. Two small pipes, as many in Wellington are aware, lead from this dam by a tunnel through the hill into the concrete reservoir on the town side of the range, which is, of course, merely a service reservoir, and useful for storage of the most temporary character. It is on this account that the dam now in course of construction by Mr. Saunders, at a point a few yards below the sufficiently insignificant one into which feed the pipes, is being constructed, and it is evident at a glance that when completed it will give storage to a vast quantity of -water. Its situation is at an elbow in the creek where the sides close in so much as to form natural wings to the dam, and above it the valley widens out, whilst the ascent towards the head-water of the creek is

so gradual that on the completion of the dam unite a lake will be formed. Of the work itself a precise and accurate description has been already furnished in these columns. Ihe noticeable point now is that the cmc authorities made an arrangement with Mr. Saunders, which that gentleman is carrying out with hi* accustomed energy, and by means ef which the termination of the present week will see a construction that will afford storage for a very large quantity of water should the wished-for rain fall when it is hoped for. To explain this, it may be necessary to state that the foot of the dam on the upward side is formed of a concrete wall of singular strength, and Mr. Saunders offered for a reasonable consideration to push on the construction of this wall, so that when finished to its heigh* of some twenty-five feet it would form ft service reservoir most seasonable under present circumstances. This Mr. Saunders is carrying out thoroughly, and next Saturday night it is expected will see the wall completed within contract time. Indeed, it may be noticed that it would have been finished sooner but for the time required to alter the piping already mentioned as conveying the existing supply. This supply will in future be taken through new pipe 3 by a massive arch in the embankment; but until the necessary piping for this could be procured the old pipc3 had to be left in situ, which involved leaving a large gap in the concrete wall forming the foot of the dam. However, these difficulties have n.w been surmounted, and, as has been said, in a very few days there will be facilities for storing a very fair supply of water. Mr. Saunders must have pushed his work ahead with remarkable energy, for he has only been at it some six weeks, and there are more than a thousand barrels of cement already used up. Owing to the nature of the locality in which the work ie. going on too, it is impossible to keep more than five and twenty or thirty men at work. As has been said, a technical description of the dam has been already published; but it may be noticed that it will be 400 ft. on the base, and 60ffc. in height, whilst in addition to the «oncrete wall at Its upper base two concrete walls will run rifht through at the centre, and these and the arch, for carrying the pipes will be protested by puddling in large quantities. Mr. Saunders did a, rather ingenious thing it may be mentioned in this connection. Previously to commencing the concrete work, which will cave the citv some storage water almost at once, he went a few yards up the creek, cut a trench across down to and into the bed rock, and puddled this up to the surface. The result was that no water percolated down to interfere with his subsequent work. All the water was thrown to the surface, and was easilj carried ! off by fluming. It has been remarked that a visit to the works might have the effect of changing some people's ideas as to our water supply. °lt may be further remarked that those who visit the place would do well not to tramp on the edges of the freshly laid concrete. A number of persons who went out yesterday week promenaded on a portion of the archway onlv just laid, and so chipped away the edges that no small expense will be incurred by the contractor. ___^_______