DRAINAGE LOAN

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 957, 28 April 1930, Page 14

DRAINAGE LOAN

RETICULATION SCHEMES TO COST £115,000 POLL ON WEDNESDAY On Wednesday, Auckland City ratepayers Trill be asked to give their approval to important drainage proposals, involving a loan of £115,000. The City Council has joined forces with the Auckland Electric-Power Board for the purpose of the poll and will make use of such of the board's polling places as are within the city boundaries, as the Power Board is holding its election on the same day. The sewerage reticulation of practically all the populous portion of the Avondale district outside the present sewerage area is included in the proposed work, and is estimated to cost £80,301). A further £29,000 is proposed to be spent on reconstructing a number of old sewers in the inner city area, and in carrying out other necessary works in Remuera and Grey Lynn and in the vicinity of Newmarket and Mount Eden. An additional sum of £5,700 is allowed for the expenses of raising the loan. The Avondale drainage proposals are considered to be a necessary work to meet the requirements of the growing district. The former Avondale borough has an area of approximately 2.500 acres. When it was merged in Auckland City, only the central portion, comprising 420 acres, had been reticulated and connected with the Drainage Board's system. This area includes the racecourse property and runs from the latter eastward almost to the Mount Albert boundary. At present it contains about 600 houses. Reticulation for a further area of 368 acres, containing some 370 houses, is now provided. This leaves a major part of the former borough, some 1.730 acres, still undrained, though most of it is only sparsely settled and almost rural land. It includes 670 acres which could not be drained except by pumping. The 368 acres proposed to be drained comprise five detached areas of comparatively close settlement, as follow: (1) Waterview, at the northern end of the district, between the Great North Road and the Waitemata Harbour, 120 acres; (2) the Rosebank Road district, occupying part of the peninsula on the north-western side of the racecourse, 115 acres; (3) three areas in Avondale South, served by Wolseley Road, Puriri Street and Mackay Street, of 15, 78 and 40 acres respectively. The Mackay Street area will be drained into the New Lynn Borough Council’s system, which discharges into the Manukau Harbour. In order to carry the additional drainage, it will be necessary to replace and enlarge 7,400 ft of the main sewer connecting with the Drainage Board’s sewer at Oakley Creek, and provision is made for this in the loan proposals. The reticulation of all the new areas except Rosebank Road will be designed to take stormwater as well as sewage, in order to avoid the expense of duplicate drainage. In the Rosebank Road area the soil is porous, and such provision is not necessary. By taking only sewage from it a saving of £17,000 will be effected. The works proposed in other parts of the city include the replacement of nine old sewers in the Queen Street valley and elsewhere, the reconstruction of the Newmarket gully sewer, the extension by 2,000 ft of stormwater culverts running from Richmond Road to Cox’s Creek, part of the cost of culverting the Arehhill gully sewer near the Newton East Schooland a payment of £6,250 toward the cost of the Mount Eden and Mount Albert main drainage system in respect of the St. Leonard's Road pumping area.