XN000022-1982-09-21 — Page 6

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 1982

WATER SUPPLY TO NORTHEASTERN NT DOUBLED

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THE NEWLY-COMPLETED EXTENSION TO THE TAI PO TAU TREATMENT WORKS WILL DOUBLE FRESH WATER SUPPLY TO NORTHEASTERN NEW TERRITORIES TO 110 000 CUBIC METRES A DAY.

THE DIRECTOR OF WATER SUPPLIES, MR TOM TOMLINSON, ADDRESSING THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE TAI PO TAU TREATMENT WORKS EXTENSION TODAY (TUESDAY), SAID THAT THE $12 MILLION EXTENSION WAS THE THIRD AND FINAL ́ONE TO THE TREATMENT PLANT.

+THE GROWTH OF THIS PLANT REFLECTS THE CONTINUED GROWTH OF THE SHEUNG SHUI AND TAI PO AREAS, HE SAID.

THE FIRST STAGE, COMPLETED IN 1968, SUPPLIED 27 000 CUBIC METRES OF TREATED WATER PER DAY TO THESE AREAS.

INCREASING DEMAND SOON REQUIRED AN EXPANSION OF THE PLANT AND OUTPUT WAS DOUBLED IN 1972 BY INSTALLING ADDITIONAL FILTERS AND A SECOND CLARIFIER.

SUPPLY OF WATER WAS EXTENDED TO MORE CONSUMERS BY UPGRADING THE DISTRIBUTION MAINS AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF ADDITIONAL SERVICE RESERVOIRS.

SINCE 1972, MR TOMLINSON SAID, THE POPULATION AS WELL AS INDUSTRIAL ESTABLISHMENTS IN SHEUNG SHUI AND TAI PO AND THE SURROUNDING AREAS HAD CONTINUED TO GROW.

STUDIES UNDERTAKEN BY THE WATER SUPPLIES DEPARTMENT IN THE LATE 1970S REVEALED THAT FURTHER EXPANSION OF THE TREATMENT PLANT WAS REQUIRED TO MEET THE ACCELERATED INCREASE IN WATER DEMAND IN THESE AREAS, HE ADDED.

MR TOMLINSON THEN PRESSED THE BUTTON TO OFFICIALLY BRING THE NEW EXTENSION WITH A DAILY CAPACITY OF 55 000 CUBIC METRES INTO SERVICE.

THE CHAIRMAN OF THE TAI PO RURAL COMMITTEE, MR CHEUNG WAI-LAM AND THE CHAIRMAN OF THE SHEUNG SHUI RURAL COMMITTEE, MR LIU CHING-LEUNG, PRESENTED BANNERS TO MR TOMLINSON.