SOUVENIR-CHARTERS TOWERS, 1872 TO JULY. 1950 Page 45 The Charters' Towers Water Authority This Authority is operated by the City Council. Committee: J. D. Cunningham (Chairman), G. J. Carbis, J. D. Hides, W. James, A. P.Romano . Town Clerk: Mr. J. G. McClelland. Pumping Station Engineer: Mr. P. Matthews. Reticulation Engineer: Mr. H. Swann. Origin of Water Supply: This sup­ply is taken from the Burdekin River; the Weir and Pumping Station are situ­ated approximately 9 miles from the City. Capacity of Weir: 4OO,000,000 gal­lons. Plant at Pumping Station Electrically Operated Pumps: Two Multi Stage Thompson High Lift Pumps driven by twvo 170 h.p. A.G.E. Squirrel Cage Type Motors; one Multi Stage Vertical Thompson Low Lift Pump driven by a vertical 35 h.p. A.G.E. Squir­rel Sage Type Motors. Maximum Pumping Capacity: 64,000 gallons per hour. Steam Operated Standby Pumps: These consist of three Cornish Type Steam Boilers and two "Hawton Davy" Compound Steam Engines direct coupled to plunger type Water Pumps. Maximum Pumping Capacity: 38,000 gallons per hour. Operation: Water from the Weir flowvs by gravity to the suction side of the electrically driven low lift pumper steam pumps. The electrical or steam pumps force the wvater through 8 miles and 75 chains long, 12 inch diameter, cast iron pipes against a head of over 700 feet or 300lbs. per sq. inch gauge pressure. On its way to the 1,800,000 gallon storage tanks. situated in the top of the hill in the city, the quantity of water pumped is measured by a Venturi Meter, which is located at Lissner Park. This meter has retorded during a twenty four hour period the pumping of over 1,000,000 gallons. Reticulation Population of Supply Area: 8,100. Number of Water Ratepayers: Ap­proximately 2,000. Nearly 84 miles of reticulation pip­ing varying from 9 inches to 1 inch in diameter is connected to the storage tanks on the hill. Financial Data: Assets of Water Authority on 30th June, 1949, £59,018; Revenue for period ended 30th June, 1949, £21,154; Cost for period ended 30th June, 1949, £18,331; Profit, Interest and Redemption for this period, £466. CHARTERS TOWERS RAINFALL Year 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 Average for 56 years Total 11.59 25.71 28.39 23.14 25.63 13.37 . 15.11 22.08 20.81 13.87 29.51 22.80 22.04 18.83 27.02 34.87 24.07 15.33 35.21 21.72 28.35 29.27 15.36 28.45 24.53