THE WATERWORKS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1090, 16 October 1879, Page 2

THE WATERWORKS.

(to the editor of the OAJU.ru MAir,.) Sir,-—Yesterday I went over nearly the whole of the Awamoko and Papakaio sections of the water-race. A large number of errors have been made by somebody. These errors I shall endeavor to point out. A great portion of the race runs through rock and clay in deep cuttings, which could have been easily avoided by carrying the race round the small slopes that drop down fro in the high ground. This portion of the race has cost at least four times the amount it would have done if it had been cut in the right place. Besides, all land in this locality will carry water much better near the surface than it will in deep cuttings, and a surface race would take less to maintain because it would not be so liable to land-slips as a race rushing through deep cuttings. Even if the land does not slip in deep cuttings the banks are always crumbling away and filling the race up. Many of the places in the rock cuttings are far too narro.w, and will not carry half the water that other parts of the race will carry. This is a great error, because it backs a lot of dead water up in the weakest parts of the race, and will either cause a burst of the race or an overflow in wet weather. All water-races should be of equal size throughout, both at top and bottom, and the fall the same throughout. This rule has been neglected, for I find a sharp fall in

the race in Georgetown, and vo. i. through M'Auly's farm ; i u f act l ]n < is nearly on a dead k-vel. Tin- L ,L .'V* feature is the low side of the n w t left in a very bad state in c ( .nsen Uen , the deep cuttings, making the bank high and the intervening piece 'too* and too low. The lower'side sluml<n' C ' had the same fall as the bottom „f.! race, except where it has been m;.,], "'j! and those portions should be hi "heto avoid any chance of an overt' l I these parts. The solid ground !!p\i lower side of the race should lie L 3 height; from the bottom of ih o i-,,','" that in the event of an overt!, ny dm-' 9 flood 110 damage would be done. Ti'i' is another very bad piece of ;■ ' back of Georgetown, viz.. whei'e the is rim from a creek into the r.;,v j IK . of adopting the usual plan of ravrvinl over. A good deal of the lV.p;\k;iin tion runs through a lot of H'cachet'. ground, which will require a svsu- m 1 race puddling as soon as a little water be got to boar upon it. This can he r'!" easily if it is put in the hands of srm l0(i ;' diggers of experience in this line'would like to see the race finished : think it would be the best and by fur cheapest plan for the Council to cali f'' tenders for its completion and iu , lw j tenance for 12 months, putting two <r, if men to watch the clay work and the'er ting of the race, and a man to watch tK erection of the fl uming.—l am., Ac,, John