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18 days during June, it was not found possible to resume constant supply until the 10th July. From that date until the 14th November, constant supply was maintained but, on the date just mentioned, recourse was again had to the rider-main system, which remained in force until the end of the year.
Owing to the protracted drought, the state of the reservoirs had become so serious that, on the 1st June, intermittent supply was applied to the High Levels and Hill District but the rainfall of the 2nd and 3rd June fortunately rendered it unnecessary to continue it. Constant supply was in force for 210 days and intermittent supply in the Rider Main Districts only for 155 days.
No rainfall or any moment occurred until the 2nd June, when 6.55 inches fell. The result of this heavy downpour was that the water became heavily charged with fine matter in suspension washed from the hillsides or disturbed within the reservoirs which created considerable difficulty in maintaining efficient filtration. The dry season was a very protracted one, practically no rain falling from the end of October, 1909, to the 2nd June, 1910, or for a period of 213 days.
The quantity of water stored in the impounding reservoirs on the 1st January amounted to 597,720,000 gallons and it reached a minimum on the 1st June when it amounted to 74,193,000 gallons.
The reservoirs were at or over their permanent overflow levels for the following periods:-
Reservoir Total Capacity. Gallons. Period. Tytam, 384,800,000 Aug. 14th to Dec. 2nd (111 days). Tytam Byewash, 22,366,000 Aug. 22nd-24th and Sept. 4th-8th (8 days). Tytam Intermediate, 195,914,000 Aug. 9th to Nov 14th (98 days). Wongneichong, 30,337,000 Various periods between July 2nd and October 2nd (48 days). Pokfulam, 66,000,000 Various periods between July 1st and October 19th (86 days).The total quantity of water remaining in the reservoirs at the end of the year amounted to 523,081,000 gallons.
Pumping was begun at Tytam Tuk on the 1st March and continued with slight intermissions until the 30th June. It was resumed on the 20th October and continued until the 30th November so as to utilize the extra water impounded by inserting sluice boards on top of the permanent overflow of the Intermediate Reservoir and prevent its being lost by leakage.
The total number of hours of pumping amounted to 1,866 with the No. 1 engine and to 2,435 with the No. 2, equal to 1794 days of one engine. The total quantity of water pumped during the year amounted to 225,235,000 gallons.
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