BACK                                                                                                        HOME                                                          WATER SUPPLY With the rapid development of Broken Hill the ever-increasing demand for water became crucial to the existence of the field. In the early days of Broken Hill the people relied mainly upon tanks and soakage’s in the creeks for their water supplies. The year 1888 was a drought year and great distress prevailed as tanks emptied and the creeks dried out. The lack of water and its poor quality helped to bring about the dreaded presence of typhoid fever. The distress of the people was aggravated by a feeling of indignation against the Government. Near Silverton there was a big tank known as the "Rat Hole", which was under the control of the Department of Mines. The residents of the Barrier applied for permission to use the water for drinking purposes , but the application was refused. The tenseness of the people can be gauged from the following advertisement which appeared in the "Silver Age" on 22nd September                                                                    1888:-                                                            WATER FAMINE                                                 Francis Abigail,  M.L.A.                                                        (Minister for Mines)                                                WILL BE BURNT IN EFFIGY                                                          THIS EVENING                                            On the Government Reserve                                                         at 8 o'clock                                           FOR CRIMINAL AND CRUEL                                        NEGLECT OF THE INHABITANTS                                                      OF THIS TOWN                                           All are invited to attend the                                                     "Auto Da Fe"                                        PARKES WE DECLINE TO NOTICE A dummy figure of the Minister was made and a coffin and hearse borrowed for the preliminary  procession. The townspeople turned out in masses and congregated on the site now occupied by the Post Office.   Gallows was erected and the effigy of Francis  Abigale  was hung and then burnt. Very soon after this the "Rat Hole" tank was, by proclamation, thrown opened for public use. Another drought occurred  in  1891 - 92. On this occasion water was obtained from Mingary and this supply allowed the community to struggle through. The South Australian Government had constructed a reservoir there for railway purposes but did not have immediate use for the full volume of water caught as the result of a local thunderstorm.  The water was pumped into iron tanks placed upon railway trucks and one or more trains were run into Broken Hill each day. On reaching its destination the water was sythoned into a large iron tank and from this tank it was taken by carriers who distributed it among the consumers. A scheme was advocated in 1888 for the construction of a pipeline from the River Darling, but the project was shelved. Two private enterprises begun in 1889 - Nolan's  Stephens Creek Water Supply Company, and the Barrier Ranges Water Supply Company - were taken over by the Broken Hill Water Supply Company  Limited in February 1890, and the first sod of the Stephens Creek reservoir was turned by Sir Henry Parkes in April 1890. The reservoir was completed in 1892 but, within a few year, could not meet the demands of the mines and the township. In 1891 the BHP Company, and associated mines, obtained water - fit only for industrial use - from the Limestone bed at Acacia, adjoining the Umberumberka Creek, about seven miles from Broken Hill, from the wells at Acacia Dams, where a small settlement existed for a few years.  Water was pumped through a special pipeline at the rate of approximately 61,000 gallons a day.. In addition, B. H. P. installed a condenser which recovered approximately 41,000 gallons daily. As Broken Hill extended it was found necessary to augment the Stephens Creek supply and a site was chosen on the Umberumberka Creek, about 18 miles north -west of the city. Much damage was done when heavy rains washed away a lot of the construction work when the wall was almost half completed. The original depth of the wall was 80 feet, but silting has reduced the effective height by 43 feet and each year the storage capacity decreases.  The present storage capacity for a full reservoir is estimated at 2,000 million gallons.  The water was pumped through 2.3 miles of rising main and 10.4 miles of gravitation main, of which 10 miles was wood - stave pipe. With the booster pump operating the maximum quantity which can be pumped is 2.5 million gallons daily.     The Umberumberka reservoir was completed in 1914. Umberumberka reservoir will, when rains cause sufficient intake, remain for some time stand - by supply for the city in the event of any failure of supply from Stephens Creek pumping station.                                                      CONTINUE NEXT PAGE