PUKEKOHE'S WATER SUPPLY.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 3, Issue 259, 24 December 1914, Page 2

PUKEKOHE'S WATER SUPPLY.

Additional Loan Proposal

At a special meeting of the Pukekohe Borough Council held on Monday evening, consideration was given to a report by Mr Lockie Gannon, consulting engineer, on the subject of the town water supply. The report, inter alia, was as follows: THE SOURCE OF SUPPLY. The source of supply consista of two six inch boreholes situated in Lot 5a Nelson street, each 217 feet deep. These bores give an approximate quantity of 6000 gallons per hour. The wstei rises to withiu 27 feet of the surface, but when the pumps are working the water level falls to 82 fest. It would not be postible t) draw water from this depth. There also appears to be a supply of water in the well itself approximating to 2000 gallons per hour. ANALYSIS. An analysis cf the water hps been made. 1 his shows it to be good but some * hat hard. MACHINERY. The pumpirg machinery consists of a set ot heavy tiebln ram (single action) pumps driven through machine cut helical gearing and ariction clutch by a suction gas engine. RESERVOIR. The reservoir is situated on the summit oi Pukekohe Hill, about 532 feet above the pumpiog station. It has a storage capacity of 325,000 gallons, or 8£ days at the present rate of consumption. It Is uncovered, and when examined some limi ago had a growth or algae in the water. By the addition of a small quantity cf copper sulphate the algae can be eradicated. The islet a d outWt being the same pips the water does not ■ circulate ia the reservoir which allows vegetable matter to grow more freely.

CONSUMPTION. The pumps are working about 34 hours cer week, but the air lift works longer to fill up the well. The water pump:d dally ia about 39,000, gallons and the papulation consuming same is about 900.

PRESSURE REDUCTION VALVfc'

The pressure reduction valve has at times got cut of order through being jammed by stones, etc , in the pipes causing a jerky action and doing considerable damage. When it does get jammed open there is considerable loss of wnter through the two safety valves in the town. The fact that the engine is compelled to drive the air compressor in addition to the pumps and the pressure reduction valve has got cut of order has undoubtedly given Mr Wyatt, the engineer in charge, a very trying time. It stands to his credit that there has been no serious accident or breakdown under the existing state of affairs; he has to keep his machinery in the highest state of efficiency or it would be unable to cope with its work. STAND-BY PLANT. As the population increases there is a possibility of the source of supply not being equal to the demand and at present if a serious breakdown occurred at the pumping station there is a possibility of tha supply being cut off from the town pending repairs. All modern well equipped works have duplicate plant to give a standby in case of accident.

RECOMMENDATIONS. Lower I.evd h'eservoir.— 1 would recommend the construction of a new reservoir with all necessary fittings in the vicinity of section 241 and marked "B" on plan. This raservoir should be constructed in two compartments with a total capacty of 500,000 gallons and should be roofed to keep out dirt and dust and to prevent the growth of vegetable matter. 'lhis reservoir would have a capacity sufficient for many years to came and should te placed about 320 feet above the present pumping station. This will give a pressura in the town of about 1401bs to the squate inch. Eight-inch Rising Main.—A new eight-inch rising main should be run from the interrection of Queen and Nelson streets to this r.ew reservoir and connected with the existing eight-inch main opposite reservoir by rreans of a crosi piece and continued on to the inlets of reservoir. A six-inch pipe would suffice as a rising main for the present, but the future growth of the district warrants the installation of nothing smaller than an eightinch pipe. It is a noticeable feature amongst local bodies to-day that they are repenting the installation of smaller pipes in the first ins ance and are no» putting larger ones in at considerable extra expense.

Supply Pipe. The supply pipe should lead from the opposite corners of the reservoir; this insures a free circulation of the water. These pipes should be connected as shown on the plan to the existing eight-inch main below the new stop vavle. With this arrangement all that is necessary to fill the top reservoir is to close down ths two valves on the inlets to the new reservoir and the water then passes up through the reflux valve ti the small compartment ia the top reservoir without putting anj extra on the town supply It would only be necessary to pump to this compartment about once a week; shoulJ a br.ak occur in the rising main then the refl.-x valves will prevent the water from being wasted from either reservoir and avoid damage to property. The existing pressure reduction valve has been troublesome tJ your Council and should be dispensed with as there would then be no neei for it. Sa f c Valve at Pumcing Station.— I should suggest putting a six-inch safety valve at the pumping station on the rising main as 9hown on plan; then remove the valve from the existing retention or non-return valve above the air vessel. This enables the air vessel to com? into play when there is t;ny back rush in the rising main.

Stop Valves at Rloore's Corner.— Provide at Moure's corner stop valves as shown on plan. Ii the event of accident the town can then be supplied by pumping direct into the main.

Sectioning Reticuiation.— The whole reticulation should he section-

isul hy means of a proper system of stop valve*, and all dead ends obviated by joining up where possible with other pipes as pro-

pusid in the «xtensiona, also junctions rhould be left where there is a likelihood of future cxtennons. Electric Water Recorder. —EI crric water levJ recorders aho.ild be metal'bd nt each reservoir, fo that the pumping engineer ran t II ut the works the amcu tof wattr in the reeervoir. l'he present method of inspecting ia obsolete. Air V«lves.--Air valves should be placed at any place in the mains where air ia likely to pocket, as this

ia a frequent aource of danger. The pumping engineer suggest! that a small conuartment should be divided off in top reservoir for the purpose of storing 60,000 gallons with the idea of maintaining a fnsh supply of watjr for the few houses cn the high level. This compartment would be useful until that portion of the borough becomes thickly populated. General Effect of Adoption of Theaa Recommendations-With these alterations there will be a marked saving in fuel, and the wear and tear on" the machinery will be considerably reduced. The general safety and life of the present gasproducing plant will be very much increased. This is cspeciilly so, in

the casj of pipes and fittings. The present loss due to th 3 safety valves would be almost completely obviated. No extra attendance will i be required and there will ba less | work to be done. By having a separate rising main there will be less liability to water hammer in pipes and also a steadier pressute on the -pumps. All the water used will have to pass through the reservoK, dirt and grit will settle and you will have a better circulation. Should either main burst the other can be used so that the supply should not have to be interrupted during repairs. It will not be necessary to interfere with the town supply in any way whsn pumping up to the nigh level reservoir. The high level reservoir will also act as an additional reserve in ca : e of fire. By doing away with the dead ends there will be less liability of water becomimt stagnant in the pipes and this will also increase the capacity of any particular pipe in the case of fire, because the pip.'s will receive water from two directioua instead of as at the present from only one. In tha near future it will be found necessary to augment the supply to cope with the further demands. The present pumping plant is capable of handliiig more than the existing water supply, and my obaervationa lead me to suppose that this supply is not one sufficient for the future icquirements of the district. By the insertion of an additional bore, as suggested by the waterworks engineer would probably mean the tapping of the present spring, and it is questionable notwithstanding that the pumps are

capable as above stated with pumping more water whether the extra supply is there. The best method of ascertaining is by sinking a bote and the little expense incurred warrants the experiment. 1 do not recommend installing a duplicate pumping plant at the present Station. It is therefore necessary to look for another source of supply. COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATIONS.

All the members of the Council were present at the meeting, viz. The Mayor .'(Mr C. K. Lawrie), Cro D. R. Hamilton, J. A. Comrie, T. B. Hurley, F. Hubbard, K. Bilkey, J Beatty, J. Pollock and R H. McGough. Cr Hamilton stated that the Waterworks Committee had considered the engineer's report and proposed to carry out an Instalment of the works suggested by Mr Gannon, for which purpose they recommended that a loan of £6OOO should be raised to be extended over the proposed new area of the borough, £SOOO to be used for improving and extending the water system and the balance of £IOOO to be devoted for extensions as required. Farther, instead of the existing charges of 5s per quarter for 4000 gallons for consumers in the old area of the Town Board and Ts per quatter fur 4000 gallons for "outside" consumers, the committee recommended that the charge in both cases should be 15s per quatter for a minimum of 3000 gallons, and 28 6d for each subsequent 1000 gallons. Cr Hamilton proposed the adoption of the Committee's recommendations and further mentioned that of th 3 sum proposed £2OOO was urgently wanted and the balance could remain until the money market eased. ! Cr Hubbard seconded, and claimed 1 that the works proposed would I effect a ssvin? of £SO in fuel and j £IOO in labour as compared with expenditure in present ye<tr. This | saving would go a long way towards paying the interest cn the proposed loan, to say nothing of the loss which waa now likely to aris3 if anything went wrong with their machinery. Under existing circumstances the town might at any time be without water. The Committee in recommending the new water charges thought as all-would pay the rate for the loan it would be a more equitable arrangement for all consumers to bs placed on the same footing. At the same tinn the new charges would bring about a reduction on the water rate at present collected in the area of the old Town Board, and ought to make the schema self-paving. "Outside" consumers of water totalled 22 par cent, of the "outside" residents, and under such circumstances there ought not to be much objection to the rate being spread over the whole of the borough instead of being limited as at present to the "inside'' area. Tha cost of the loan would probably be id in the £ over the whole borough. The £IOOO suggested for extensions would be reproductive to the extent of 15 per cent to 20 per cent. Water was an actual necessity and not a luxu.y, and there was no use going back over the whole question and saying that the supply had cost more than it ought tu have done. They had to look at the matter in a business sens?. The further outlay was required and would have to be carried out, and if the ratepayers would rot auppurt them the Waterworks Com- ! miUte would not hold themselves J responsible for what might happen. WILL THE RATEPAYERS APPROVE? The Mayor suggested that it I would be better to divide the committee's recommendations so that j the loan and charge proposals j should be dealt with independently I of one another. He doubted if | tho increased < hargea would be ! favoured by the people, snd, further, he pointed out that the ' suggeition to spread the rate over

the proposed new borough area would entail delay «a such could not be accomplished until the new boundaries had legally come into torce, which would not be possible for fome three to six months yet.

Cr Comrie agreed with the Mayor, thinking it better to wait and have the boundaries sltcrcd before delining the water rnting ana. Crs Hamilton and Hubbard accepted the M«yor'a suggestion eb to separating the committee's recommendations one from the other. "A WHITE ELEPHANT." Cr Pollock characterised the water supply as the white elephant in N'.w Zealand " The scheme, he said, was initiated Lv the old Town Board and it would be neither fair nor for tho "inside" residents to vote the "outside" people into the' water ra'e area. 'lhe majority of the peuple living outside the area rould not possibly reap arty benefit from the water. It would entail an expenditure of probably £500,000 if the whole of the borough was to be served with wattr. It was claimed that ur.uer the revised charges the water would be self- paying. Why then, he asked, was there any neceasity for the rating area to be i enlarged. | The Mayor remarked that he I believed it would be quite legal to apread the water rate over the whole of the borough. £7OOO WANTED.

Cr Hamilton gave it as his opinion that the ratepayers both "inside" and "outside" the water area were mutually concerned in the development and progress of the town and accordingly thould both support the proposal if they wanted to see Pukekohe go ahead. The special rate on the loan, even if collected, would only amount to £1 for every £IOOO of valuation, and in the caso of the "outside" residents the rate would not accordingly amount to more than £3 to £5 for any ona property. In emharking on the wotk he thought on reconsideration it would be wiser to provide for contingencies, and h* would therefore propose that a loan of £7OOO instead of £6OOO should be raised.—Cr Hubbard agfeed. Cr Hurley contend d that it was impossible to take the water ov£r the whole of the borough. He favoured condensing tin area ns otherwise they would never get back the capital 'spent on laying dawn tho mains.

OPPOSITION LIKELY. Cr Bilkey contended that tho Council would never get the toWTi people to agree to pay £3 per quarter tor their water instead of 15s as now. A COMPROMISE.

The Mayor again |ointed out that delay would only atise if the committee's recommendation as to the area over which the rate should be struck was adhered to, and considered it would be far better for the pnsent to limit the rate to the existing rating area. Then, agaio, as the committee only wanted £2OOO for immediate requirements it would be better to only ask the ratepayers for that sum nt present and then when the boroujh boundaries wera altered lo ask for sanction for in additional loan to be then spread, If considered advisable, over the whole of the borough. 1)2500 LOAN WANTED.

Cr Hamilton accepted the Mayor's suggestion for providing for immediate requirements, which could be effected by the provision of an additional reservoir, but asked that the proposed loan should be £2500 instead of £2OOO as proposed by the Mayor. A resolution, moved by the Mayor, and seconded by Cr Comtio, was then unanimously passed for a poll of the ratepayers to be taken for the raisins of £2500 for the construction of a new reservoir ai recommended by the engineer and for attendant works, such loan to be limited to the area of the old Town Board.

PROPOSED INCREASED CHARGES.

The consideration of the proposed increase in the water charges was held over to a future meeting.