BOROUGH EXPANSION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 145, 13 November 1914, Page 4

BOROUGH EXPANSION.

IIYDIiO-iiU'X'XJUC SOILBMJS. AUiJi'i iU.NiAL roWßll IM:oViJ)ED. The growth of the iown, and the impending inauguration ot' municipal tramways have necessitated the provision of greater power ior generating electricity, as well as for water reticulation pmposes. To provide for these requirements the JWough .Engineer. -Mr Skitrop, formulated 4 ' scheme fur tapping the W'aiwakai'iio river at a point 2o chains above the old intake and conveying the water by means of a (■ouduit chains in length", (]«) feet of which consists of a tunnel) into the -Mangama'hoe stream, across which a dam has been erected at the point where the water is carried to, the forebay, w'hence it serves the turbines at the power house, and the reticulation pipes of the town. liy this scheme not only is the additional water obtained from the Waiwakai'ho river utilised, bin the whole of the water of the -Maiigamahoe is brought into service, and when it is considered that the latter is of itself capable of supplying tile reticulation service of the town, and' that the new conduit delivers (ac.cordI ing to yesterday's test wheh was made wiien tile river was practically at its lowest) '2 1 /. million gallons of water per 'hour, some idea may be formed of the extent of the new water supply. I The darn is about 13 feet high, so that 'the valley of the Mangamaioe will form a huge reservoir the contents of which should serve for many years to come for generating electrical power and supplying the town with ample water, the quality of which has' been pronounced -very satisfactory. The work of constructing the conduit and 'dam, which has been carried out by day labour under the supervision of tile Horough engineer, lias occupied about ten months, but during four months of this period the road to the intake was too bad to get cement carted over. The cost is set down at £3.200, but to this must lie added the purchase money of the ground, which brings the total up to ! about £4OOO, This may be regarded as one of the best investments that the borough has made, especially as there is ti stock of metal 011 the "land and' in the river that would ii-11 New Ply- ' mouth's requirefnents for generations, [but this cannot be utilised until a tram !'has been laid down on the river bank 'so as to be brought cheaply to the 1 crusher site, and that must be left for 1 some future time. Tile extreme depth of tho conduit is 23 feet, and the ; volume of water than can now be delivered to the power turbines represents ISOO li.p. per minute. When the water ;at the dam rise 3 to its limit it will comprise approximately ten million gallons.

I It is intended to fence. the land* on 'both sides of the Mungamahoe stream and plant them with trees, also to fence (.lie conduit so as to protect the water I from pollution, and there is little doubt that in the near future the locality, I which is one of the most, picturesque ' spots near town, will become a favourite picnic resort.

In the presence of the Mayor and most of the Councillors the sluice gates at the inlet to the conduit were opened yesterday, and the jvater at once flowed freely along the conduit into the 'Mangamahpn where it quickly rose in height, causing the stream to reverse its usual oriier and flow uphill, The effect of this tapping of the Waiwakaiho was surprisingly, for in a few moments the river fell between one and two feet There was no formal ceremony, no speech-making and no celebration.. It •was just a business transaction t r nat 'was as cold as the water itself.- irat those present took it cheerfully, leaving the successful work of the Borough engineer to speak for itself, i« it fiiay safejy he relied upon to do. 'ibe operation marked another step in the progress of New Plymouth.