WATER SUPPLY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 2 May 1940, Page 4

WATER SUPPLY

MASTERTON LOAN PROPOSAL CONCRETE-LINING OF MAINS, SURVEY BY BOROUGH ENGINEER. An informative survey of matters relative to the loan proposal to be put before the ratepayers of Masterton for the concrete-lining of the water-main;’ from the reservoir to the borough was made by the borough engineer. Mr. C. R. Mabson, in an address given at today’s luncheon of the Masterton Rotary Clitb. •'From time immemorial, water has played the leading role in the development of all communal life; in fact, in the existence of all life,” said Mr. Mabson. “Whether it was required for domestic, manufacturing, or transportation purposes, it has been the predominating factor in the growth of all great nations. It is Nature’s greatest gift to all mankind, yet one that has caused untold suffering and hardship, as well as great happiness and contentment. To the engineer, it is one of the most absorbing and ‘cussed” subjects he has to deal with; for it’s always too hot or too cold; too much or too little; too thick or too thin;—the creek dries up, the pipe has enough of it, the river, has too much of it and the ideal con-; dition seldom obtains —yet, when har j nessed to generate power, supply a town, or irrigate waste lands, it proves to be an untold blessing. We often hear it said that water is as free as the air. That expression is perfectly true only if you go for it;but, to collect, purify and distribute it to the taps in every horiie is a costly procedure; therefore. we find that water really is not free. This being the case, and with the ever-increasing demand made upon this natural resource, it becomes imperative that it should be conserved and protected, and waste of it eliminated.

ELIMINATION OF WASTE.

“Many distribution systems have adequate capacity," said Mr. Mason, “except for a few hours each day during the dry weather, when the abnormal use by means of hoses reduces the pressure to a point where the ‘fire hazard' becomes a serious menace. There is only one method known (apart from the expenditure otyiarge sums of money) whereby the elimination of waste and the conservation of water can be effected; and that is by means of 'metering' —a very contentious subject, I know, but nevertheless a proven method of reducing consumption and eliminating waste. It, admittedly, has its drawbacks, but it does most emphatically achieve its object. It is admitted that no method has yet been determined by which a scientific and balanced ‘flat’ rate can bo devised, and all fall short in the test, of fairness and equitableness, and all are invariably discriminatory. This economic fallacy of flat-rates is not peculiar to water-charges, but is common to most services: so there does not appear to be any argument that can be advanced opposing metering as an equitable distribution of charges. So much 'for the general aspects; I will now deal with Masterton's water problem. FIRST SYSTEM INSTALLED. “It is forty years on December 20 of this year, since the opening ceremony of Masterton high-pressure water supply,” Mr. Mabson continued. . “This took the form of an official visit by the councillors, engineer, overseer and contractor to the Upper Plain Reservoir and the headworks intake—at 10 o'clock in the morning—followed by a public ceremony, at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, held at the Post Office, the mayor (Mr. C. A. Pownall) presiding, and the member for the district (Mr. A. W. Hogg) having the honour of turning on the first hydrant, on December 20, 1900. “From reports available, it appears that the loan proposal, amounting approximtaely to £2o>ooo. was carried in June, 1899, and work commenced on the scheme shortly after, and being completed in approximately 18 months. The population of the borough in 1900 was approximately, 4,000; and the consumption of water per head thereof was assessed at. fifty gallons per day (full 24 hours). During peak draw-off periods, it was estimated that half this amount would be used in eight hours; so that the peak draw-off (75 gallons per head of population) was provided for; and, on this, assumption, it was considered that ample provision had been made lor the future population growth of the town, to 12.000 limit, at least. However, 14 years only elapsed before it was found necessary to duplicate the main from the Upper Plain Reservoir to the town by laying a 12-inch steel pipe, alongside the original 10-inch cast-iron pipe; and, by replacing the 12-inch earthenware pipe from the intake Io the reservoir by an 18-inch steel pipe. None of the reports available give any indication as to the population this improvement was assumed capable of supplying; most of the references to it being in general terms, such as stating that it would serve for many years to come. The fact remains, however, that we have once more, after a further 2G years, reached the position wherein the present system of town water supply does not satisfy the demand made upon it during the summer months, although it must be admitted that it very effectively serves the town for seven or eight months each year.

QUESTION OF POLICY. “The whole question now evolves into one of policy, which must be determined by the council, for, if the present system of permitting unrestricted use of the supply is to be persisted in. then some means of augmenting the supply must be undertaken in the very near future,' said Mr. Mabsoii. “While it may be still possible to obtain sufficient" water for domestic purposes when all hoses are going full bore.’ it is not right to permit the town pressure in this way to be i educed to such an extent as to create a ‘fire hazard’ to any section of the community by reason thereof. It may be argued that we should not have to worry about that, now we have two modern fire engines fully equipped with high-pressure fire-pumps; but even this fine plant is of no avail if the water is not available from the mains due to the abnormal use of hoses. The loan proposal before you at the present time is not a cure-all scheme designed to obviate the necessity of giving effect to the major proposal; but. in forming part of it. aims at restoring the carrying capacity of the 10, 12, and 18-inch mains, which have become badly incrusted during the past 26 and 40 years. The proposal provides for the cement-lining of these mains, which definitely will restore their respective original capacities in spite of the reduction of the internal bores, and will prevent further incrustation form- . ing, as well as prolong the life of the pipes considerably. If your car is out of order, running on only 4 instead of 6 cylinders, it is wasteful on petrol and oil, and cannot render efficient and economical service. Likewise, if the mains arc incrusted and deliver 30 per cent, less water than they should do they also are inefficient and uneconomical. The original loans are still being paid oil; for it was not until comparatively recent years that the law made it compulsory to provide a sufficiently large sinking fund to liquidate the loans at maturity; so that you are not getting value for the outlay involved' unless they are put in good repair. “The Tate Process.” said Mr. Watson, •■by which it is proposed to cementlino the 10 and 12-inch mains; also the 18-inch, if practicable; is a quite simple, but ingenious one. and has been well tried by many local bodies, both in this country and overseas, and proved to be a highly satisfactory solution to a difficult problem. The ‘bogies’ about the lining ‘chipping’ oft, and of corrosion persiting after lining, and bursting the cement lining oft’, have long ago been disproved, and the fact that a pipe was lined 76 years ago with only three-sixty-fourths of cement compo and is stiil giving good service, should be sufficient to convince the most sceptical person, especially seeing the lining today is never loss than throe times this thickness. Further, it is not to be expected that leading waterworks authorities, such as Manchester. Sydney Melbourne. Brisbane. Adelaide and Auckland would embark- on a proposal Io cement-line the whole of thenwater mains during the next lew yeais unless and until it had been proved conclusively that the system was ‘foolproof.’ efficient and permanent. With those few remarks. 1 will leave it to you to decide whether it is sound business to give effect to the proposal before you.” A movie-picture was then shown, and questions answered.