The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-11-21
DROUGHT AFFECTS
WATER SUPPLY
Nuuanu Reservoirs Practically
Empty---NO Relief Till
Ii Rains.

CONSERVATION is felt by citizens Hv-
ing in the area of the high-pressure
system at the just-issued order of the
Water Department, forbidding the use
of water for irrigating purposes until
further notice. Relief is not expected
until a rain comes. The region In
which the irrigation is thus forbidden
is both sides of Nuuanu avenue and
mauka of School and Lusitana streets,
Thurston avenue, Lunalilo street, Ma
noa road, and including College Hills
and the Manoa tract.
'tWe hated to issue the ORDER" said
Superintendent of Water Works Joseph
NJ Little yesterday, "but we had to
do it. We have been hoping for rain,
but it has not come. 1t has been
long dry spell.
''There is no water at all in reser.
voirs two and three, and very little in
No. /. There was about five feet in
No. ! this morning, but most of that
had accumulated during the night, by
reason of this order prohibiting irriga
tion. But even that isn't much, prob
ably not more than 100000 gallons,
and that much we pump out every day.
''In reservoir No. 4, the Nuuanu
dam reservoir, there is very little ex-
cept below the outlet pipe, and that
we have been prohibited from using by
the Board of Health because of the
danger of it becoming contaminated by
running down the Nuuanu stream.
There are only four or five million gal
Ions there, anyway, | should say.
"There is water running down
through the pipeline from reservoir No.
all the time, of course, but not
enough to supply the needs if irriga
tion is permitted. There is enough TO
supply the needs for domestic purposes
aside from irrigation in the region
supplied from this source.
".The Makiki reservoir is entirely |
empty. The supply from above, how
ever, is tolerably constant, and is
enough to meet domestic needs.
"In the Puunui region the pressure
is so light that people are able to get |
very little water in the daytime when
water is being used below. They can
only get it at night. But most of the
people up there are used to that now,
and have tanks, so as to get supply
at night to last during the day.
"On the lower levels of the city,
where the artesian supply can reach,
there is no difficulty 1t is simply
matter of pumping. And while this is
it can be done, and is done.
1t is the regions supplied by the high
pressure system that are suffering, and
there car be no relief until we get
rain
Water consumers along the heights
and Manoa received instructions that
they could irrigate from 2 to 4 p. m,
but promptly at o'clock daily the
water was shut off and irrigation was
out of the question. That condition
arose two or three weegs ago. Then
there was no water in the pipes dur
ing the early forenoon hours and q
bath was out of the question. There :
was no water during the early even /:
Dg. Many taxpayers were reduced to &.
he extremity of requisitioning the :
water caraffe from the refrigerator to .
Sit the basins for a plain face-wash, .
1oth morning and evening. Household .
srs remaining at home during the day .
and feeling any real necessity for a
bath, sent their servants around the
to borrow water from
hose fortunate enough to have water
anks on their premises.
Those VINO raise poultry, unless they
axe time by the fOrelOek and store :
water. have not had enough water all =
lay long for their fowls to DRINK. =