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Reason 6 is a clarification of reason 4 with regards to just how important Mundaring Weir was to the people of Perth. The report in The Inquirer and Commercial News, 2 October 1891 regarding the opening of the waterworks reports the following.
Messrs Saunders and Barrett, Civil Engineers were commissioned by the Perth City Council to design a water supply. The Government of the day were not prepared to fund the venture, so the council arranged the funding.
The population at the time was less than 10,000 and the people were complimented on their forethought as Melbourne had a population of 70,000 before they had a water supply.
The dam was built at Mundy's Brook by Messrs Neil McNeil & Co at a cost of 160,000 pounds. The dam was reported to be 65 feet tall, 48 feet wide at the base tapering to 3 1/2 feet wide at the top. The wall contains 35,000 yards of concrete and was believed to be the largest concrete wall in Australia at that time. It is built on a solid granite foundation. "and to all appearances is as solid and safe as could be wished."
The basin is 42 acres and the capacity is 260,000,000 gallons with a catchment area of 11,000 acres. However, it was only half full with 25 acres covered with 46 feet of water on the day the waterworks were officially opened as the cement was not sufficiently dry. Mr Keane was the Mayor of Perth and his wife was invited to turn on the water supply. "Mrs. Keane, having turned on the water, said, 'I now declare the Perth waterworks open, and christen the reservoir the Victoria after our most gracious Queen.'
C Y O'Connor did not arrive in WA until June 1891, four months before the opening of the waterworks. Gold was not discovered in Coolgardie until 1892 and Kalgoorlie in 1893. Mundaring Weir is the water supply for the Goldfields Pipeline. And the 2 million pound bill for that project appears to have overshadowed the achievement of building the dam for it's original purpose.
by AvonGems (score: 0|8) 2541 days ago