LANSDOWNE WATER SUPPLY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 2919, 15 September 1908, Page 5

LANSDOWNE WATER SUPPLY.

Cr W. Harris informs us that his attitude in regard to the Lansdowi e Water Supply has been considerabl / misrepresented, and in support of his statement lie has handed us the following: letter, with a request to publish it:— Woodward Streat, Wellington, 18th July, 1908. Messrs Donald and Sons, Ltd., x Masterton. Dear Sirs, —In response to your letter of the 14th inst., I have the honour to furnish you with the following estimates of the probable cost of the proposed Lansdowne and Opaki Water Supply schemes:— LANSDOWNE WATER SUPPLY. . £ '• Headwurks and racp, reservoir, ! filter beds, hydraulic rams, etc. 1,740 Steel mains, house services, valves and all other fittings 1,995 Surveys, engineering and contingencies £470 Land for reservoir J-acre, for filters, efe., g-acre, say 1 acre in at £IOO 100 i £4.305 The above figures are based on tho supposition that there is now double the number of houses which were in existence at the time 1 reported previously, .lamiary, 1905. The prices of the pipes, etc., are based on the Martin borough Waterworks contract now in course of construction. The daily supply would be 100 gallons per head for a population of 1,000 people, the' present population being assumed to be about 700. No allowance for severance was made in my previous report, nor is any made now, be ause it was understood that, as the race would follow the line of the existing water channel from the Waipipi stream to Maunselfs dam, there would be no more severarce of the land than there is at present; and for the same reason it was considered that there coulj oe no claim am- compensation. The area of the strip of land actually occupied by the channel would be perhaps three acres frcm the Waipipi to the dam. Provision is made in the estimates for fencing the deep part of the head race. The remainder need not be fenced, becauEe the race would be shallow, and tx& the water would be passed through filters, it would be delivered into the pumping tank quite clear »»nd pure. The capacity of the service reservoir is 40,000 gallons, which is about the same size, as the reservoir of su h places as Featherston, Martinborough, Fahiatua, etc., and it wquld * be .a needless expense to increase it foi* probably many years to come. It is not intended for storage, but merely to equalise the flow in the mains. OPAKI .WATEK"RACE SUPPLY. £ Intake, races, and fencing 1,450 Road, railway, . and other crossings 325 Surveys, engineering, an 1 contingencies 450 Purchase of land for headrace, 2 acres at £25 50 £'£,2l6 I think this estimate will be found ' to be somewhat in excess of actual "! cost, because the original Water Supply District has been considerably reduced in area, and therefore-..fewer race 3 will now be required. It is impossible at this stage to> define correctly the share of the intake and headrace which should be fairly borne by each district; ard exact adjustment can only be made when contract surveys are completed. I have spared no trouble.in making the present estimates; and I believe that they will be found to be correct. At the same time it must be borne in mind that J was not given the opportunity of going over the ground again before framing them; and I have been obliged to take some of my data at second hand, and I cannot therefore speak with the same amount of confidence, as 1 did when I reported in 1905. Yours truly, G. Laing-Meason, M. Inst.-C.E. Cr Harris contends that the present scheme is virtually similar tothat proposed in 1905, and he is very much opposed to the residents of Lansdowne procuring water for human consumption by means of open water races.