THE WATERWORKS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1319, 17 September 1880, Page 2

THE WATERWORKS.

At the meeting of the Municipal Council last evening the following report from the Acting Engineer was read : The headworks are in a thoroughly satisfactory state, and the supply from the river remains abundant. Finding it necessary to have the side seams in the boxiug of Frew's Gully aqueduct thoroughly caulked, the water has been turned off at the Awamoko since Monday. Mr. Day will have finished the work to-day, and the water will be flowing again to-morrow. Since the water was let down over the Papakaio and Landon sections a number of small leaks have appeared from time to time, but have been promptly stopped, and no break of any consequence has occurred. On the Papakaio section some thirty box over-byes are required, varying from 15ft. to 35ft. long. These are all in hand being made, and will be fixed in their places by the surfacemen as they are got ready. Mr. Flaherty completed his contract early last week. Mr. Day has only got onetenth of the valve tower bridge in position as yet, and the maximum height of water we can at present get into the reservoir is about 13ft. above the supply pipe, at which height it is now standing. Mr. P. Mullin commenced on Tuesday carting pitchers on to the ground, and will have the pitching of the bank completed in two to three weeks. Two or three men have been employed with Patterson trimming the slopes a.t ihe reservoir and preparing them to be sown with grass seed to prevent, as far as possible, silt, &c., being washed in by rain storms. For this purpose I have had a catch-water drain cut along the base of the stripped ground above the high water and carried away from the reservoir over the embankment. I have also employed Williams and Bentley'a dray for a few days to cart black soil, etc. Mr. John Bell ia erecting the farm bridges on the Ardgowan Estate. The water in the reservoir is rapidly becoming clearer, but as it is necessary until a constant supply is more assured to conserve it as much as possible the necessary amount of scouring out the reservoir and the mains has not been proceeded with.