ENG-1970 — Page 198

PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES

151

The demand for water reached a new peak of 204.3 million gallons per day, showing an increase of 6.1 per cent over the 1969 peak although summer temperatures were not exceptionally high. The 1969-70 winter average of 141.80 million gallons per day was 7.7 per cent more than for the 1968-9 winter and the average for the whole year was 7.1 per cent higher than that for 1969.

During the year a total of 60.917 million gallons of water were supplied showing an increase of 3,935 million gallons over the 1969 figure and representing an average ‘per capita' consumption of 40.80 gallons per day. This figure does not include water con- sumed for sanitation which is normally obtained from wells or from the salt water distribution system. A total of 11,814 million gallons of salt water were supplied during the year.

These increases reflect once again the generally healthy state and growth of industry as well as increasing affluence and rising standard of living.

To meet future increases in demand, work started on raising the Plover Cove dam by 12 feet, thereby increasing the capacity of the reservoir to 50,000 million gallons. Additional pumping and filtration capacity in connection with the dam raising is being provided-by extensions to the Tai Mei Tuk and Tai-Po Tau pumping stations and the Sha Tin treatment works. The output of Sha Tin treatment works will be increased in stages from its present capacity of 80 million gallons per day to 175 million gallons per day by 1973.

U

Detailed studies continued on a major new scheme similar in concept to but larger than Plover Cove. This scheme if approved will intercept water from the Sai Kung Peninsula (the largest untapped catchment in the Colony) and lead it, via a system of catchwaters and tunnels, to a 60,000 million gallon reservoir formed by dams linking High Island with the mainland. The whole scheme is estimated to cost $850 million and work has already begun on site investigation and construction of access roads. Design of intakes, tunnels, pumping stations and dams is proceeding rapidly. The scheme is planned for completion in 1978 and will contribute about 76 million gallons per day to the yield of the water supply system.