Beneath this stone monument flows a story of Auckland’s thirst. This is the Water Supply Memorial Fountain. It stands as a tribute to the vital resource that has shaped this city.
Let’s journey back to the early days. Auckland’s population boomed. The demand for fresh water grew. Early settlers relied on rainfall, wells and streams. But these sources soon proved inadequate. The need for a reliable water supply became critical.
Imagine the challenges. Sewage contaminated the water sources. Industrial waste further polluted the supply. The Auckland City Council knew it had to act. They decided to establish a public water system. Western Springs was chosen as the primary source.
The Water Supply Memorial Fountain reminds us of those early struggles. It stands as a symbol of the innovative solutions. Engineer William Errington designed the waterworks system. He faced a major hurdle. Western Springs lay close to sea level. Errington proposed a pumping station using a steam engine. It would lift the water to reservoirs across the city.
In 1874, the council appointed Errington to design the waterworks system. He had become known for his success in engineering projects across Australia and New Zealand. A key challenge for the Auckland Waterworks project was that Western Springs lies close to sea level. Errington proposed a pumping station using a steam driven beam engine to lift water to a series of reservoirs. These reservoirs were at Ponsonby, Khyber Pass Road, and later at Mount Eden. This would supply water across the city’s varied landscape.
Local firm T & S Morrin Limited won the tender. They constructed the reservoirs and machinery. Construction began in March 1875. By September, the excavations for the building foundations were nearing completion. The dam to create the Western Springs Lake reservoir was well underway.
The Auckland Waterworks was completed on 21 March 1877. The Auckland City Council formally opened it on 10 July 1877.
The Water Supply Memorial Fountain is a reminder of the Western Springs Pumping Station. After a slow start, connection to and use of the water supply system grew rapidly. This growth in demand led to Errington designing a second reservoir to be constructed at Ponsonby. There was also a new reservoir on Mount Eden. Both were completed in January 1888. However, this growth in demand saw the Western Springs Lake level begin to drop from overuse. Supplementary water supplies were sourced from Waititiko / Meola Creek. Then, it was known as Edgecombe’s Creek. Water was also sourced from the Asylum Springs. This was on the site of the then Avondale Asylum at Carrington Road.
By the late 1880s, the water quality in the waterworks system was deteriorating. Western Springs was believed to have become polluted. Further contamination seeped into damaged pipes around the city. Water sourced from Waititiko / Meola Creek also tainted the supply. A further supplementary supply was sourced from the Nihotupu Stream in the Waitākere Ranges and piped to Western Springs.
The Western Springs Pumping Station machinery underwent an overhaul in 1914. It was maintained as a reserve pumping station until it was decommissioned in 1936. The last reported use of the pumping station was in 1928.
Though the pumping station had been decommissioned, the Western Springs water supply was drawn on in times of drought. The pumping station buildings and surrounds were used as a council works depot, storage, and laboratory for some time after.
Today, the Water Supply Memorial Fountain stands as a tribute. It honors the visionaries. It remembers the workers who ensured Auckland’s access to clean water. Let us appreciate the history flowing beneath our feet. Let us conserve this precious resource for generations to come.