8 THE VARSITY ENGINEER. April, 1916.

PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. By C. E. Oliver, M.C.E. Gentlemen,— It has occurred to me that a short description of the Works of the and Metropolitan Board might very well furnish the substance of an address to the University Engin- eering Students, for many of the Engineers of this school, together with other graduates of the University, have assisted in carrying out the above works. Ín fact the sewerage scheme of Melbourne and the Metropolitan area was the first large undertaking which was entrusted to the Engineers of our Alma Mater. Most of these Engineers have had the privilege of sitting under our late "beloved Professor. All were engaged on the Water Supply and Sewerage, either on survey or con- struction work, with. the Board, or with the Board's Contrac- tors, or as Contractors for the Board and have in no little manner contributed to the successful carryi , ng out of the Water Supply and Sewerage for this, the ninth city of the British Empire. A list giving 58 names in all has been prepared, too many, however, to give in detail. The early settlers in Melbourne were mainly dependent on the River Yarra for their supply of water. The most convenient site for access to the river was near the present Queen's. Bridge, which connects Melbourne with South Melbourne. There was a ledge of rocks at this point extending across the bed of the. river, but this natural barrier did not prevent the saline effect of Hobson's Bay water making itself manifest in an unpleasant manner at high tide. An at- tempt was made to. artificially raise this rocky obstruction, with the object of stemming back the tide, but the work was not properly carried out, and other sites along the river's bank were selected so as to obtain water of purer quality. Private enterprise established rough pumping plants, and it is asserted that water was sold in barrels at prices varying from 2/- to io/- per load. Attempts were made to obtain water by sinking wells, but the efforts were not attended with much success. Following the principle which had been established in London and elsewhere, with most lucrative results, an endeavour was made to form a company for the supply of water to the public, but, beyond passing a number of resolutions at a meeting held at the Lamb Inn, Melbourne, in May, 1840, five years after the foundation of the young town, no definite action appears to have been taken in this direction. The Melbourne City Council was formally constituted in 1842, and a few years afterwards the Town Surveyor propounded a scheme for conveying the river water to a large filter at the North Eastern corner of Elizabeth and Flinders Streets, for public sale. This scheme 9 THE VARSITY ENGINEER. April, 1916. fect untildtlhe acrr al was not properly carried into ef Hydraulic Engineer,849 of Mr. James Blackburn, a Civil and com- in after year's to. become sntefnolw occupied by tinbeo munity by selecting and reportingearly on the methods of the Van Yean Reservoir. The Mr. Bteredlack- burn, however, proved fairly successful; water was macle available by laying pipes from the river to the site mentioned, and distributing by the usual portable loads. Inic iated this scheme Mr. Blackburn was assoc by ithe.Mr or so n Cooper, chemist, but the ability p led to his appointment as City Surveyor. water, Notwithstanding the occasional admixture ofBrid saltge used old original site on the Yarra near the Falls (now South until 1857 for the supply of water to Emerald Hill (n the ship- Melbourne), Sandridge (now Port Melbourne), year the ship- ping in Hobson's Bay. Towards the end of that y retary to the Commissioners of Sewers and Water Supply wrote to the Board of Directors of the Hobson's,Company Bay Railwa ior - Company, suggesting that in view of the works near the Palls, and interfering o tion of the land should cons the a the Company and g d of the Commissioners, plant, race, replace the boiler of the pumping all connections to the satisfaction of the Engineer, asover well the as be laidalonger with.r~'the permit the water main to el dulyecomp lied These requests permanent new railway bride. systems were abandoned upon a river north of the The various from the district the supply becomingsu ply by systems The water and i~Tetropolitan Board of `Yorks consist of three and main branches, viz.:-- The Van Yean System.. The Maroondah System.)Upper Yarra System. The O'Shannassy and Ui P VAN YEAN SYSTEM. Blackburn in a report to the Council pointed Mr. be outIn that 1850 an abundant and perpetual supply of water could obtained from the creeks and springs flowinged the from PlentyPlenty Mt. Disap-River. sub when united . pointment, and which o lico9th l August, After careful exploration lie, t which previously e ll mitted a full report confirming thl h e ha plans and closing the outlet from made, , and soutsouthwardhward of.with Toorourrong embankment. He the valley and swamp of Van Vean with an also supplied estimates of what he odeemed uluti Went supply, viz.: 40 gallons per head per claymaintenan and and of the cost of construction, toce working. of The Melbourne City Council applied scheme, day for means to carry out Mr. Blackburn's to but supply and sewerage was given control of water IO THE VARSITY ENGINEER. April, 1916. nominated by the Government, and vested with power to levy rates. Mr, Matthew B. Jackson was appointed Engineer to this Board on the 17th June, 1853, two months after the Board had held its first meeting. Mr. Jackson visited the site of Yan Yean with Mr. Blackburn, and confirmed the latter's views as to the eligibility of the position. In October, 1853, Mr. Black- burn was appointed Consulting Engineer to the Board, but shortly after he was killed through his horse colliding with a tree during the old ceremony of perambulating the city bounds. Mr. Jackson modified the water supply scheme so as to pro- vide for 200,000 day. people at the rate of 3o gallons per head per Work on the reservoir was commenced on the loth Decem- ber, 1853, by the first sod being turned by H. E. Lieut. Gov- ernor Charles Joseph La Trobe, and the water from Yan Yean was formally turned on in the city of Melbourne on the 27th December, 1857, by Major General McArthur, representing His Excellency the Governor, Sir Henry Darkly, K.C.B. The principal work was the construction of an earthen em- bankment, 49 chains long, 3o feet high, 20 feet wide on top, inside slope 3 to 1 and outside slope 2 to I ; by-wash 5 feet below top of embankment, and 602 feet above low water, Hobson's Bay. In the centre of the embankment there is a good puddle wall, and the inner slope is protected with rough bluestone pitching. A large portion of the shores of the reser- voir has gradually been similarly protected. The embankment forms a lake covering an area of 1,36o acres, the slopes of which have been rendered picturesque by the planting of a large number of pines and other trees. The lake has a maxi- mum depth of 26 feet, and an average of 18 feet. Its total capacity is 6,400,000,000 gallons, of which 5,400,000,000 are available for consumption. Its supply irrespective of that de- rived from its own catchment area, 5,70o acres, was at first obtained from the by means of an aqueduct two miles long, 21ft. 6in, wide, and 7ft. 6in. deep, capable of carry- ing 150,000,000 gallons per day, the last quarter of a mile be- fore entering the reservoir being tunnelled. At the river end of the aqueduct flood gates were ,erected so as to regulate the quantity of water taken from the river, or to enable it • to be excluded altogether when necessary. The main from Yan Yean to Melbourne consisted originally of pipes of three sizes, —the first length from Yan Yean to Morang, 7 miles being 30in. diameter, the second, from Morang to Preston, 6 miles, 27in. diameter, and the third from Preston to Melbourne, 6 miles, 24in. diameter. While the works at the Reservoir were in progress the laying of reticulation pipes in the principal streets of Melbourne and the erection of stand pipes in suitable positions were proceeded with. These were temporarily supplied with water from a cast iron tank erected in 1854 on Eastern Hill, into which water ENGINEER. IT April, 1916. THE VARSITY steam power. The pumps the Yarra bY• Spring was pumped from Bridge, nearly opposite were situated above Prince's lifrl dep raised ring Street. The tank was 4oft. x 4oft. the ground on bluestone foundations. Its capacity wasuse in gallons, n and it was obtainedb from Yan Yean, Its them vesupply ceased1892 itit when was removed, e and re-erected at the Metropolitan sw- 1892 age Farm, Werribee. the junctionjunction of thethe mountainmountain The Plenty River is formed by the as and Creek, Creek, together with their branches oknowns the Plenty, Jac numeropnumerouso r ioonllof the main dividing range of the State known central mass of these ranges, that pot The as the Plenty Ranges. Messrs. Hume and Hovel. called Mount Disappointment by lonrs could when discovered by them in 1824, because the exp nearly due not see the ocean as they expected-is situated e, and distant therefrom about 33 min. north from Melbourn and It attains an altitude of 27ooft. above sea level,el, is p oint- granite, visible from any elevated parttending of the northwards city. are of and its mainx spurs .e overlaidment for the most part with a rich volcanic chocolate With The southern spurs are almost entirely Silurian country, and poor soil. The principal timber in the greater l Amygda- better soil is the giant Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus lessh soil, and with Blue the all varieties of the Eucalyptus, Stringy Bark on the poflzpoor soil, born dense in the gullies. owth, tree ferns, etc., being on the undergr When the Van Yean water was brought into sum ti o, coo in the city, the number of houses supplied though the population of Melbourne and suburbs was nearly was í664,000. "100,000.The total cost of the works to the end of 1857 In During the "fifties" the price of labour day, onsi2 erabll wages labourers9 -,could only earn he construction of the Van Yean had risen to g/-, and during and masons 36/- per day. Reservoir labourers were paid 20/- meter was supplied was In 1862 the charge for per water woo supp gallons, and in 1863 t reduced from 4/- to 3/- per roo still further reduced to, and still remains at r/ onis gallons. built. It is Melbourne. It In 1864 t six miles north the main pippipe line, P about and partly p Y in bank, and is constructed partly in excavation lined with bluestone pitchers, the side slopes bei g I2 to 1. It is 20 feet deep, and holds 16,000,000 gallons, being 328 feethe aboveeofl Melbourne and the number of In x8 u the population houses suppliedcti wi, it to increaase the founda necenecessary to supply respectively, laying a second 24in. main from supply. This was done by y b 12 THE VARSITY ENGINEER. April, 1916.

Preston to Collingwood, which was completed during 1869. By this means the surplus water which was brought down by the main from Yan Yean during the night and stored in Pres- ton, was available as an additional supply during the day when the consumption was greatest, and the Yan Yean main was being drawn upon in the city. The new main was capable of delivering at the rate of 10,000,000 gallons in 24 hours. In 1874 the water rate, based on the municipal valuations was reduced from 1/- to 8d. in the , and in 1888 was further reduced to 6d. in the it. Since 1906 the rate has been 7d. in the f. In 1874 a cast iron main 18in. in diameter and capable of delivering 4,500,000 gallons per day, was laid from Preston via Coburg and Brunswick into the city. The population of the metropolis continued to increase, and necessitated the laying of further lengths of sub-mains and reticulation pipes to supply the increased number of houses. In 1875, when the figures had reached—population 245,000, and houses supplied 46,00o—it was found necessary to provide increased facilities for bringing water from the to Preston. With this in view the 3oin. pipes form- ing the portion of the main from Yan Yean to Morang were lifted, and relaid alongside the 27in. pipes from Morang to Preston. their place being taken by an open aqueduct lined throughout part of the way with stone and part with brickwork set in cement.., This aqueduct is capable of carrying 33,000,000 gallons per day. It crossed the Plenty River on a stone bridge of a single arch of 45ft. span. It is known as the Morang Aq- ueduct, and terminates in a small square pipe-head reservoir Oft. deep, capable of holding 3,000,000 gallons. The Reservoir is partly in excavation and partly in embankment with side slopes of I% to I, and lined throughout with brickwork set in cement. The by-wash level of the reservoir is 485ft. above sea level. This work was completed in 1876. In 1877, after the 3oin. cast iron main above Morang had been lifted and relaid thence to Preston, a third 24in. main was laid from Preston to the , and being there reduced to 18in, diameter, was in 1878 taken over the Yarra at the Kew Asylum Reserve to supply the Eastern suburbs of Kew and Hawthorn. Unlike the No. 2 Main, which was taken directly out of Preston Reservoir, No. 3 Main was taken from the 3oin. cast iron main before the latter entered the Reservoir, so that it could be supplied either from Preston Reservoir, or, when desirable, from Morang, so as to avail of the greater pressure dale to the higher altitude of the latter. The bridge over the Plenty River carrying the Morang Aq- ueduct, was washed away by the flood of 1878, and for three days water was only obtainable from the Yarra. Although the news of the accident only reached Melbourne late on a Satur- day, and the. difficulty of obtaining labour, material and car- 13 April, 1916. THE VARSITY ENGINEER. riage (there being no railway near) on Sunday was consider- able, by the promptitude and energy of Mr. Wm. Davidson, the Acting Engineer, a temporary wooden flume was erected over the flooded river, and the Yan Yean water was in Mel- bourne again on the following Tuesday. The temporary wood- work was shortly after replaced by a wrought iron flume 5ft. wide, Oft. deep, and 22oft. in length. In 1879, the level of the water in the Yan Yean Reservoir having faleln very low, it be- came evident that the works which had been designed a quarter people at the rate of 30 of a century before to supply 200,000 gallons per head per day were inadequate for the population which had increased to about 256,000, requiring water in hot weather at the rate of from 8o to 90 gallons per head per day. While another scheme was under consideration it became evident that if some more speedy method of augmenting the Yan Yean supply were not adopted, Melbourne might suffer from an insufficiency of water. Mr. Wm. Thwaites was there- fore sent to examine the sources of the King Parrot Creek, on the North of the Dividing Range, with a view to diverting water thence into the Plenty watershed. In 188o a i6in. cast iron pipe in addition to the i8in. laid in 1878, was laid from the No. 3 24in. main at Merri Creek along- side the 18in. main through Kew in order further to improve the supply to the high, Eastern suburbs. During the hours of greatest demand in hot weather,reat pressure difficulty was experienced in keepingicts up of a the good metropolis, the the mains in the high outlying distr maximum hourly consumption being about three times the sumption. This was overcome by the con- average hourly con struction of suburban service reservoirs by means whereof the water which local mains were capable of delivering in excess of the demand during the night was stored and made available for augmenting the supply during the hours of greatest demand in the daytime. The first of these service reservoirs constructed was at Essendon. This is a small circular reservoir partly in holding excavation arid partly in embankment, capi, reser- 1,000,000 gallons. The side slopes are 1/ to ndI hes voir is lined throughout with bluestone pitche deep, the top water level is 2ioft. above the sea, and it was completed in 1881 at the cost of £1000. This acted so satis- factorily that a second reservoir capable of containing 6,000,000 gallons was built alongside it, somewhat similar in construc- tion, but quadrilateral instead of circular. It is 15ft. deep, cost £6,500, and it was finished in 1883. A third service reservoir and of cement concrete, the walls having a batterof I in ,â rectangular in chape, of 10,000,000 n 5 p and 166ft. above sea level, was built in the same year at Caul- field, at a cost of £13,500. In 1883 there was also laid No. 4 24in. cast iron main from Preston to Melbourne, alongside the No. i main, and con 14 THE VARSITY ENGINEER. April, 1916. nected with it, opposite the Exhibition Building in Nicholson Street. The investigations in the Plenty Ranges, to the North of the Dividing Range, proved so satisfactory that the Water Supply Board, on the advice of Mr. Davidson, recommended the con- struction of the Wallaby Creek Aqueduct. This work was carried out in 1883, and diverted the waters of the Wallaby Creek into the Plenty River Watershed. The Wallaby Creek takes its rise in the Northern slopes of Mount Disappointment, and after flowing over the elevated and comparatively level plateau which comprises the greater part of its watershed, falls rapidly into the valley of the King Parrot Creek l000ft. below. The first and most precipitous part of this descent where the water leaps down over granite boulders, forms the picturesque " Nimmo Falls." Near the foot of the Falls a granite masonry weir is constructed on a good rock foundation. The water from this weir is conveyed in a contour channel along the side of the principal northern spur of Mount Disappointment to a low saddle in the Dividing Range, and discharged by a series of artificial cascades into the head of Jack's Creek on the Southern slope of the Divide. The Wallaby Aqueduct is 5/ miles long, with a fall of aft. toin the mile.. It is lined throughout with granite pitchers set cement. It is 12ft. wide and Oft. 6in, deep. The bottom is a quadrant with side slopes of 1 to i. The carrying capacity is 33,000,000 gallons per day, and the average daily flow of the Wallaby Creek is 7,000,000 gallons. The cost of the work was i54,0oo. The additional supply of good water obtained from the Wal- laby Creek enabled the water from Bruce's Creek to be dis- pensed with. It was more or less polluted, owing to the large amount of settlement on its watershed. For this purpose a diversion channel a mile and a half long was cut from Bruce's Creek before it entered the River Plenty at Whittlesea, to a point on the River just below the Yan Yean off-take. The quality of the water in the reservoir was further im- proved by the exclusion of the drainage from the township of Whittlesea, and the waters of the western branch of the Plenty River and Scrubby Creek, which flowed for portions of their lengths through settled country. When this was effected by the construction of the Toorourrong Reesrvoir and Clear Water Channel in 1885, the whole of the supply to Melbourne was collected from land entirely uncultivated and unoccupied with the exception of one small farm in the Yan Yean Catchment area, about a mile north of the reservoir. This holding was purchased by the Board in 1896, and thrown out of use for ag- ricultural or grazing purposes. The was formed by the construction of an embankment across the valley of the eastern branch of the Plenty, immediately below its junction with Jack's Creek. The dam is of earthwork, 15 chains long, with a puddle w all 15 April, 1916... THE VARSITY ENGINEER. in the centre, and the inner slopes protected with rough pitch- ing. The area is 36 acres, and capacity 6o,000,000 gallons. The waters of the eastern branch of the Plenty and Jack's Creels, ' augmented by the Wallaby Aqueduct, are conveyed Channel from the Toorourrong Reservoir by the Clear Water f into the old Yan Yean Aqueduct, the flood gates Plenty below Whittlesea being permanently closed. The Clear Water Channel is similar in design to the Wallaby Aqueduct, but larger. It is lined with pitchers throughout. It is 44 miles long, i3ft. 6in. wide, and Oft. gin. deep, with a fall of 7ft. 6in. per mile. Its carrying capacity is 120,000,000 gallons per day. In it are numerous drops, or artificial waterfalls, the greatest being 17ft. These drops, in addition to preserving the on uniform grade in the channel, have a beneficial effect con- water. There is in this channel òne short inverted syphon sisting of 36in. cast iron pipe. The cost of the Toorourrong Reservoir and Clear Water Channel was £78,881. In the year 1886 the Silvery Creek Aqueduct was con- structed, and thereby the waters of Silvery Creek and three of its tributaries were diverted from flowing into King Parrot the basin formed by the Creek, and discharged into edu Jacks e ka Tooy Weir and thence by the Wallaby Aqueduct, , Reservoir and the Clear Water Channel graniteinto an to masn n Reservoir. The Silvery Creek Weir is of Ye T25ft. long and lift. high, the bed of the creek consistinga of granite detritus and silt. The foundations of thre e smallera of concrete kept in position by sheet piling. weirs on the tributaries are of concrete with granite coping.s The Silvery Creek Aqueduct is similar in design and construc- tion to the Wallaby, only smaller, being 7ft. sin. wide, 2ft. 7 deep, with a aft. fall to the mile and a carrying capacity of 12,000,000 gallons per day. The main aqueduct from the Sil- very to the Wallaby Weir is a little over eights respectively.lo ,g The two small tunnels, 29 and 6 chains long P smaller portion of the channel bringing in the water of the miles. avera tributaries extends for an additional two Thande age dai y discharge of the aqueduct is 5,000,000 l cost £55,000. The constant inflow of fresh cool mountain streams intowater the Yan Yean Reservoir has a most beneficial e of o then has as the temperature being reduced, the growth This had been a source of inconvenience to the con- sumers during hot weather, discoloring the water and causing it to have an unpleasant odour. The Kew Service Reservoir was built in 1886. It was sim- deep, capable of ilar in construction to that It isa12ft1c16intt holding 3,000,000 g above sea level. It cost £8,595. important improvement was made in the manu- In 1886 an for the Department by the adop- facture of large water mains 16 THE VARSITY ENGINEER. April, 1916. tion of the process of, coating them with asphaltum as a pre- ventive against chemical action of the. water. Attention had been directed to this process by Mr. Alfred Deakin, M.L.A., on his return from California, where he had seen it in operation. The first wrought iron main was 3oin. in diameter, and was laid in Preston in 1886 from the Reservoir to. Oakover Road,. and the main was continued thence to Merri Creek by 3oin. cast iron pipes. A second wrought iron main . also 3oin. diameter, was laid in 1887 from Morang to Preston (except the first half mile from the Morang Reservoir, which was of cast iron). This additional main made the total carrying capacity of the mains from Morang to Preston equal to that of the Aqueduct from Yan Yean to Morang. In the same year a 24in. wrought iron main was laid through Kew, following nearly the same route as the 18in. and i6in. cast iron mains previously laid. This was taken from the 3oin. main laid the year before to Merri Creek, and an i8in. cast iron branch was also taken from the latter into Melbourne via North Carlton. During 1889 a 3oin. wrought iron main was laid from Pres ton Reservoir via Coburg and Brunswick to Melbourne with 18in, and 24in. wrought iron branches from it to Essendon and South Melbourne respectively. In 1890 Mr. Wm. Thwaites, M.A., M.C.E., M.Inst.C.E., was appointed Engineer for Supply, the works remaining under control of Mr. Davidson, then Inspector- General of Public Works. During the period of abnormal inflation of land values known as the " land boom," a large number of houses was built on the higher portions of the eastern suburbs—Box Hill, Surrey Hills, Canterbury, East Kew, etc. As portions of these localities were nearly the same altitude as Morang, it was im- possible to supply them efficiently from the existing mains. It was therefore decided to lay a main direct from Yan Yean to Surrey Hills. This main is 32in. in diameter, constructed of wrought iron plates, varying in thickness from a /in. on the high ground to , 7/16in. in Heidelberg, where the pressure is sometimes 23olbs. to the square inch. There are branches con- trolled by valves taken from it into Morang Reservoir, and the Maroondah Aqueduct. The portion as far as Janefield was laid in 1890, and in connection with the lower, portion of the Maroondah Aqueduct, then finished, was availed of to convey additional water from Yan Yean to Preston during exception- ally warm weather, and pending the completion of the Maroon- dah scheme. The main was completed in 1891. It crosses the Yarra at Heidelberg, on an iron girder bridge. It is 20 miles long, cost about f19o,000, and is capable of discharging into Surrey Hills Reservoir 9,000,000 gallons daily. THE VARSITY ENGINEER. April, 1916. THE MAROONDAH SYSTEM. The Water Supply Board which had been formed for the 879 purpose of advising the Government, recommended in 1 that a survey should be made of the and its tribu- taries, to determine the practicability of bringing water to J.MH. bourne from that source. This survey was made by Davies, whose report; furnished on i8th May, 1880, showed the practicability of conveying the Watts water from a point The average daily near Healesville to the Preston Reservoir. he at 00 of the Watts, and its tributaries, was and s wa 42 0 d that gallons, and the minimum at 25, by erecting a dam ro5ft. high across the Watts Valley, gallons could be stored. 2,000,000,000 completed, the water In 1891 the Watts River scheme was comp the being turned on by His Excellency The eGovernor,a Earl of Hopetoun, on i8th February, in the presence gathering, and the name was change d by t e Wa a w as ate-r roondah Aqueduct. The work Thero r em td Supply Board in May, 1885• construc ried out by Mr. H. W. Pullar, and the c i s 41 m leso - menced in the following year. The Aq length, 25% miles being open contour channel. Theethreeer are twelve tunnels of an aggregate length of 6% f these being each about a mile long. Fourteen inverted syphons make up the remaining 9% miles. The complete scheme provides for the erection of carrying already referred to, with an Aqueduct capable gallons daily. At present there is only a concretevalley 50,000,000weir with b y the the weir with stone coping constructed at weir er weir which will eventually be occupied by fopi r form- is only sufficiently high to divert the water et to e ing the first syphon, no provision being yet or brick- gallons The open Aqueduct is lined with cement,carry 28,000,000 work in cernent, sufficiently high to e 1 f e per day, but the greater part has beentcomplet being similar to deep, viz.: 15ft. wide and 5ft. ruin. ough Tunnelsda enough the Wallaby Aqueduct. The and, e riev la reet to carry 50,000,000 gallons daily, good hard rock, are also lined with brickwork or concrete.mile. TheThe fall in the open channels and tunnels is 'ft. to the the course valleys of the various streams in u rseoin. diameter, e uctthe are crossed by inverted syphons of 53 f. ó1n. per mile fallsof such syphons being Oft. and 7ft. ofe wroughtg t The syphon pipes are co s ruoted accordn g pres- iron, varying in thickness from sure. Some of these pipes have a working pressure of over r000lbs. to the square inch. With the exception of that at the Plenty River, which is carried by ho rougelaid iron ügirder, bridge well above flood level, all the syphons the streams. At each of the charging and discharging bas- THE VARSITY ENGINEER. April, 1916.. ins of the syphons provision is made for connecting a duplicate pipe which will then bring the carrying capacity up to 50,000,000 gallons per day. Each of the syphons is provided with a scour pipe large enough to take the full flow of the aqueduct, thus enabling the water to be diverted down any of the natural water courses when desirable instead of being shut off at the head works. The Maroondah Aqueduct discharges into the Preston Res- ervoir. Great care is taken to prevent drainage from land not under the control of the Board entering the aqueducts. To augment the supply from the Maroondah River a weir was built on the Graceburn, and the water conveyed in an open channel for threequarters of a mile and thence in i8in. wrought iron syphon 1/ miles long across the valley of the Maroon- dah into the main aqueduct. From the Graceburn channel a. Tin. pipe is taken for the supply of the township of Healesville, but this is under the control of the Healesville Water Trust. The watershed of the Maroondah is mainly situated on the southern slope of that portion of the which extends eastwards from Mount St. Leonard. Including the watershed of the Coranderrk Creek the area is about 36,000 acres. The country is chiefly porphyritic, overlaid with rich volcanic soil, growing some of the largest timber known. A Mountain Ash, named " Uncle Sam," on the Divid- ing Range near the top of the Black's Spur, measured 295 ft. high, and J3ft . round the trunk 6ft. from the ground, and above the buttresses formed by the spreading roots. Taller trees and others of greater girth are not uncommon. All the alienated land in the watershed, 'including the town- ship of Fernshaw, has been purchased, with the result that in the whole area from which water for Melbourne is obtained, (67,450 acres, or about 1o5 1/3rd square miles) there is not one habitation draining into the watershed, and horses, cattle, sheep and goats and dogs are excluded from it. The township of Fernshaw was formerly a favourite resort of tourists. Situated on the sparkling Watts River, at the foot of the Black's Spur, with Mounts Juliet and Monda rising on either side, and its houses surrounded by orchards and rasp- berry gardens spreading up the hillside into the forest of giant eucalpyti, beautiful tree ferns and dense undergrowth, it was one of the most picturesque villages in . The houses have all been razed, and Fernshaw is now only a name on the old maps. The total cost of the Maroondah works has been 1741,832. In 1892 the Surrey Hills Reservoir was completed as a cost of about f12,000. It is situated 43,oft. above sea level, is i8ft. deep, built of concrete, and contains 9,000,000 gallons. It is supplied direct from the Yan Yean by the 32in. wrought iron main, and also from the O'Shannassy River. The Reservoir is provided with screens of copper wire gauze goo meshes to 19 THE VARSITY ENGINEER. April, i916. the square inch, through which all water passing into consump- tion from it is strained. Southwards from the Surrey Hills Reservoir a main is laid along the eastern boundary of the miles Metropolitan Area to Oakleigh. le gth, It is verefiveed int and for the first two miles is 24in. and again to i8in. diameter. In the manufacture of the 21ín. wrought iron pipes in this main, Ferguson's patent spiral joint is used. This consists of substituting for the ordinary double rivetted longitudinal joint a single rivetted spiral seam, and as there is practically no loss of strength at the joint, much thinner plates cam be used. A 12in. cast iron branch has been taken from this main through Moorabbin to South Brighton, whence pipes have been laid by the Moorabbin Shire Council to Chel- tenham, Mentone and Mordialloc. ueduct was furtherher 1893 the supply of the Maroondah Aqueduct (a tributary augmented by the diversion of Donnelly's Creekconstruction of the Maroondah). This was obtained by the quarter of andthe a small concrete weir, inging in 4,000,000 gallons per of 18in. earthenware pipes, day at a cost of only £94o. bin. diameter was laid During 1894, a wrought iron main, 3 from the Preston Reservoir southwards through Northcote,nd Collingwood, and Richmond, as far as VVellingt0 wrought, iand extended to Commercial Road, Prahran, by soin. pipes across the Yarra at Punt Road, over a footbridge erectedd Richmond, d by the cities of Melbourne, nd Prar f, thare Bo contributing £1500, half the cost, for a the Mayorrsofe those bridgetraffic byto therChairman of the Board and cities on the 8th May, 1895 protect the gather- ing addition to the constant care taken to p ing grounds from all pollution, and the expensepure it leaves the bringing the water into the Metropolis ev the it fear s the fforts are made to prevent mountain streams, while ebeing distributed to the citizens. Samples d analysed every month from each ser- an of water are taken parts of vice reservoir, and from various there icromio ,and ese are compared with those taken periodically t the h parts of the head works, and should that reservoir any isermpeemp- reservoir fall below the standardf men are constantly employed Gangs in tied and cleaned out. throughout the system, cleaning the reticulation pipes whichin occasionally small nodules of iron rust become detached, and for a short time discolour the adjacent water to the discom- fort and annoyance of the househlr intoliwhoseb servi else work has been greatly may pass. This pipe scraper, ea asas modifiedmodified by the of the Bilton patent automatic pipes are d bythY officers of the Board. About too and nreservo are thoroughly cleaned. All aqueducts, t the large storage reservoir at and frequently cleaned, except Yean, and the Toorourrong Reservoir. 20 THE VARSITY ENGINEER. April, 1916.

ADDITIONAL WORKS. In 1907 the needs of the increasing population, which had then advanced to a total of 536,540 persons, made apparent the necessity of entering upon a more active construction policy both as regards additional sources of supply and means of distribution. The strain upon the Yan Yean Reservoir about this period, which was one of exceptionally low rainfall, was so great that in May, 1908, the level of the water in the reseI voir f el lto I2ft. and /in., the lowest depth reached since July 30th, 1883. The first important work was the raising of the sides of the Maroondah channel, without duplicating the syphons. By this means the discharge of the Maroondah aqueduct was increased to 29,000,000 gallons per day. The resources of this aqueduct were further increased to the extent of 3,700,000 gallons per day by a 12111. and 15in, pipe extension, 3A miles in length, from the Graceburn syphon, to tap the waters of the Coran- derrk Creek at a diversion weir. The water was formally turned on by the Chairman of the Board, Mr. W. J. Carre Riddell, on the 15th January, 1909. The cost of the Coran- derrk scheme wfa.s £9,000. In 1909 a second service reservoir of 24,500,000 galolns cap- acity, was completed at Preston. This reservoir is 516ft. by 476ft. and 17ít. deep. The top water level being 326ft. Sin. above sea level. The walls are of reinforced concrete, and the total cost was £26,000. To meet the increasing demand for water in the western suburbs, an independent steel main, 3oin. diameter, was laid through Coburg, as far as Essendon, in January, 1911. In June, 1911, this main was extended in 24in. steel pipes through Essendon to West Tootscray, to completethe supply to the Western Suburbs. • In October, 1911, at Heidelberg, a new service reservoir of 1,000,000 gallons capacity was constructed at 325 feet above sea level, at a cost of £2,600. The reservoir is circular, the diameter being 120 feet. The walls are of mass concrete, the basin being partly in the solid ground and partly above. In September, 1911, to provide for the increasing requirements of the South Eastern Suburbs a new main of 24in, and grin. diameter was laid from Oakleigh to Moorabbin for the supply of Brighton, Moorabbin, and the population along the Bay frontage as far as Mordialloc. To complete this scheme a new service reservoir of 10,000,000 gallons capacity was constructed at Notting Bill, two miles east of Oakleigh. This is filled by water delivered from Surrey Hills Reservoir, via Oakleigh. An 18ín. steel inlet connecting main was laid in . December, 1911, and a 24in. steel outlet main to connect with the South Eastern Suburbs main was completed in October, 1912. The Notting Hill reservoir is similar in construction to Surrey Hills. The dimensions are: Length, 415ft.; breadth, 272ft.;

21 THE VARSITY ENGINEER• April, 1916. and depth, i5ft. The bywash level is 332ft. above low water mark, Ilobson's Bay, and the cost was £16,000. To further increase the storage during hot weather a new reservoir was built at Preston, in December, 1913and ; the length of the basin is 516ft. 6in., the breadth 5o3ft., are of mass concrete, and

Toy water level, 326.5oft. The wallsSurrey Hills. The capacity the construction similar to that at is 26,300,000 gallons, and the cost was £27,000. UPPER YARRA SYSTEM. - O'SHAN\TASSY AND Concurrently with the provision of new service reservoirs and large mains in the metropolis, active steps were taken to supplement the general supply by installing the was O'Shanulassy rendered and Upper Yarra Water Scheme. This action was necessary owing to the fact that the g increasing in an abnormal degree toward the highrl velsceast and south east. It was considered expedient topostpone pletion of the Maroondah scheme in consequence of the pump- low level, aand ing that would be involved on account of its fora nd to a new high level scheme fromEastern Upper eo that both o supplyh sethe Easternredemands of the metropolis might be nt and n tgovernede pre by gravitation measures in whatever direction devel- opment should take place. In 1888, at heinstancereserved Mr. Wm.m. Davidson, the Government had temporarilye Yarra watershedsoc- acres of the Upp cupation some 115,000 was aherefode for future water supply purposes. The way paved for the Board's application that the first ofprincipal these tater- sheds, viz., that of the O'Shannassy River, the tary of the Upper Yarra, and having an area of 32,60o acres, should be vested in the Board for water supply purposes solely. The Murray Government, after inconductiThe The Board'sBoards firy, granted the Board's app The survey vesting in dated construction 1o, and the first contract was commenced in 191o, 1 the scheme was in full op- 1911. By October, 1914, per day, provid- let in 20,000,000 gallons p persons. eration for the delivery of The ing for an additional population of about 200,000 in Yarra O'Shannassy River rises lopes the MountsRiver Grant, and Arnold, and junctions the formation is and eight miles above Wa~rburthe balance consisting of shales and dacite for the greater part, protective bthe in natural state, there Ps a very forest and scrub preserved reliable stream flow, and the water is ofg. high miles qualit bovy. its con has been diverted at a point about 3 fluenceriver with the River Yarra by means of a coüerete weir. this point an aqueduct, 48g miles in length, delivers the waterFrom into 'a new service reservoir of 15,000,000. gallons cap- acity at Surrey Hills, which is connected to and on the saine 22 THE VARSITY ENGINEER. April, 1916. level as the 9,000,000 gallon service reservoir installed in 1891. The cost of this new service reservoir was £20,000. The O'Shannassy and Upper Yarra Aqueduct consists of 23 miles of open or covered channel, three tunnels Eft. and 7ft. in diam- eter, aggregating in length a little over half a mile, 223/4 miles of steel pipes 34in, to 36in, in diameter, partly rivetted but mainly lock-bar pattern, / mile of reinforced concrete pipes 383./i in. in diameter, and 2 miles of wood stave pipes 30ín. to 36in, in diameter, or a total of 25/2 miles of pipe line and 23% miles of channel and tunnel.

The fall of the channel is 2.I ft. per mile, and that of the pipe lines from i6ft. per mile to 42ft. per mile. The channel is at present lined with cement mortar to sufficient depth to carry 20,000,000 gallons per day for the greater part, but in sections it is constructed to a depth of 5ft. 2%in., and a top width of 12ft. Io%in., to carry 6o,000,000 gallons per day, the tunnels being already completed to the latter capacity. By duplicating and triplicating the pipe lines and raising the sides of the channels, it will thus be possible in future to bring in the waters of the Upper Yarra and its tributaries in the re- maining portions of the 115,000 acres reserve which have not yet been permanently vested in the Board. Extensive and costly additional works of construction, including tunnels, aque- ducts, syphons, weirs, etc., will also A be required. Gaugings are regularly taken of the Upper Yarra and Armstrong's Creek (the latter is the principal tributary next to the O'Shannassy River), as they form the chief future sources of supply upon which the city must depend when the population exceeds 800,000 persons. The O'Shannassy and Upper Yarra Aque- duct follows the slopes of the main Yarra Valely to a point near Launching Place, whence it passes through Wandin to Olinda, near Lilydale, at 671 ft. above sea level. Here a pipe- head reservoir of 11,000,000 gallons capacity and screening chambers have been completed, the aqueduct being also carried around this reservoir by a by-pass. The cost was £22,000. From Olinda the Aqueduct passes to Surrey Hills, via Mitcham (5ioft. above sea level). At the latter site 34 acres have been purchased for the construction of future service reservoirs of an aggregate capacity of about 6o,000,000 gallons.

MUNICIPALITIES SUPPLIED WITH WATER BY BOARD. Melbourne, South Melbourne, Prahran, Fitzroy, Richmond, St. Kilda, Collingwood, Footscray, Hawthorn, Brunswick, Essendon, Malvern, Caulfield, Northcote, Camberwell, Brighton, Port Melbourne, Williamstown, Kew, Coburg, Heidelberg, Preston.

23 THE VARSITY ENGINEER. April, 1916. PARTLY SUPPLIED. Nunawading, Moorabbin, Lilydale, Upper Yarra, Ookleigh, Mulgrave, Epping, Braybrook, Werribee, Eltham, Healesville, Whittlesea, Dandenong. Rate, 7d. in the 1I upon Municipal Assessments. Charge, i/- per 1,000 gallons. 16,217,841 Water Assessments .. • • • 147,8412 Houses Supplied with Water .. .. _ • 647,442 Population Supplied with Water .. Privately . 9,064 No. of Meters fixed— No. of Meters fixed by Board . • . . 37,883 46,947 £332,930 Revenue, 1913-1914 : • • Revenue Percentage of Working Expenses..

WATER SUPPLY. Amount Expended on Water Supply Construction 13,378,246 Prior to Transfer • • • ' ' ' ConsConstruction Amount Expended on Water Supply ConsBoarn by the Melbourne and Metropolitan 11,236,482

• 14,614,728 Total .. •r Under Board. Prior to Trans fe . 11,021,676 12,402,208 Amount Expended in Interest .. .. • • 271,2I1 454,239 . 149,622 458,041 Amount Maintenance Amount Expended in 11,422,509 13,314,488

Total ...... • • 14,756,997

RESERVOIRS. STORAGE RESERVOIRS.

Gallons. L.W.M.. *6,400,000,000 602 feet above • Yan Yean . . If If ' • • • ó0,00o, 000 747 •Toorourong 6,460,000,000 Total.. . SERVICE RESERVOIRS. Gallons. L.W.M. 13,500,000 326.5oft.above Preston, No. i . • • • 24,500,000 326.50 „ „ Preston, No. 2 . • • • 26,300,000 326.50 „ „ Preston, No. 3 • • • • 10,000,000 166.00 „ „ Caulfield .. • • • • 9,000,000 429.50 If „ Surrey Hills, No. I

24 THE VARSITY ENGINEER. April, 1916.

Surrey Hills, No. 2 15,000,000 429.50 Essendon, No. 1 .. 1,000,000 209.25 Essendon, No. 2 .. 4,000,000 209.25

Kew .. 3,000,000 281.50 ff Morang (Pipe Head) 3,000,000 485.00 fl Heidelberg .. .. .. .. 1,000,000 325.00 „ Notting Hill .. .. .. .. 10,000,000 332.50 Olinda .. .. .. .. .. .. 11,000,000 671.00

Total ...... 131,300,000 *Of this quantity 5,400,000,000 gallons are available for con- sumption. Gallons. Maximum Daily Consumption on Record(in 1913) 74,579,000 Total Output for Year 1914 from Yan Yean Reservoir .. . 4,566,194,000 Do., do. from Maroondah Streams.. 9,123,852,000 Do., do., from O'Shannassy Scheme 1,230,057,000

Total..,,., ...... 14,920,103,000 Total Consumption ...... 14,884,278 ,000

WATER CONSUMPTION IN METROPOLIS. Total Lengths of Aqueducts, etc., Mains and Reticulation, up to 31st December, 1914.

YAN MEAN SYSTEM. Aqueducts, etc., between YanMiles. Chains. Watersheds and Yean Reservoir • 23 62 Aqueduct, Yan Yean Reservoir to Morang .. 6 33/

Total ...... 30 1572 MAROONDAH SYSTEM. Main Maroondah Aqueduct ...... 41 28 Tributary Aqueducts 6 8 Scours at Preston Reservoirs .. .. . , . , , , 2 52/.

Total .. .. 5o 8 4

O'SHANNASSY AND UPPER YARRA SYSTEM. Miles. Chains. O'Shannassy Aqueduct .. .. . .. 48 52Y Scour at Surrey Hills Reservoir .. . .

Total .. . , ...... 49 2I g. 25 April, 1916. THE VARSITY ENGINEER. GRAND TOTAL--Aqueducts, etc... 129 45% 28 *Large Mains, 54ín. to I2in. diameter (inclusive) 223 I,23a.. 1,232 49% Reticulation under I2in. diameter...... • • .

GRAND TOTALS Aqueducts, Mains, Re- 42g. ticulation .. • • • • • • • • .. .

WATERSHED AREAS. 29,000 acres. ~~ Yan Yean ...... • • • • • . 40,00o Maroondah .. . • • • • • • • ' ' 000 7f O'Shannassy ...... • • • . • 33 Total ...... IO2,000 ,, Line on Maroondah and *Exclusive of Syphons and Pipe O'Shannassy Aqueducts.

ROPOLIS• WATER CONSUMPTION IN 1VIET

Daily Average No. of Daily Average No. of of Annual Gallons of of Annual Gallons of Consumption of Water per per Year, Head Year. Consumption of Water Water to Water to Head 3rst December Daily. 3xst December. Daily. Gallonsallons

1891 25,747,761 53.35 1903 28,858,633 57.39 1892 23,476,780 48.24 1904 29,523,153 58.37 1893 24,290,041 51.75 1905 32,400,286 63.34 1894 27,071,106 60.22 1906 33,479,900 64.39 1895 26,689,983 60.07 1907 35,212,222 66.36 1896 23,837,695 52.71 1908 31,559,830 58.11 1897 24,665,607 53.82 1909 33,047,340 59.29 1888 28,253,294 60.51 1910 33,272,4900 58.045 1899 27,068,465 56.37 1iì11 36, 112,0,115 63.41 1900 28,230,690 57.66 1912 38,569,560 66.27 101 29,427,589 59.46 1913 902 29,080,027 57.98 1914 40,778,844 62.64 1

Library Digitised Collections

Author/s: Oliver, C. E.

Title: Presidential address

Date: 1916

Persistent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11343/91321