AGY-1209 | Water Conservation and Drainage Branch [Department of Public Works]

Full description

The Water Conservation and Drainage Branch was established on 1 August 1911 when Mr L A B Wade, Chief Engineer for Irrigation and Drainage relinquished control of sewerage construction, swamp drainage, water conservation, and Artesian boring, which work was placed under the charge of the Engineer in Charge, H H Dare, M E M Inst C E. This followed the appointment of Mr Wade as executive officer of the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Trust. Preliminary investigations into irrigation proposals, other than those from the Murrumbidgee and Murray Rivers, were also carried out in the Branch. (1)

The Water Conservation and Drainage Branch consisted of four sub-branches -

* Sewerage Construction and Stormwater Drainage including the Southern and Western Suburbs of Sydney Ocean Outfall Sewer, suburban sewerage schemes, stormwater channel construction, plus the Centennial Park Lands Drainage work for allotments and Lake Outlets. Country Sewerage schemes and Stormwater Drainage facilities were also constructed with ancillary projects for the Nepean River Compensation weirs and the Katoomba-Leura Swimming Baths and Road. (2) 

* Swamp Drainage and Water Conservation including the surveying of areas and construction of drainage works with completed works handed over to Trusts established under the Water and Drainage Act. Water Conservation works were built for Water Trusts involving canal construction, culvert creation, cutting and regulation of water flow, dams, lake water storage facilities, placement of weirs, river snagging, and watercourse country drainage. This sub-branch also administered the Water Rights Act. (3)

* Artesian Boring involved the construction of Public Watering Places (excavated tanks both open and closed) in the Western Division along the dry stock routes. (4)

* River Gauging including the calculation of water requirements for a given area, rainfall measurement, and river discharge records. (5)

In December 1912, following a rearrangement by the Director General of the Department, the Water Conservation and Drainage Branch was replaced by the Water Supply and Sewerage Branch [II] . (6)

Reference
Report of the Department of Public Works for the year ended 30 June, 1912, pp.5-6, 59-92 in NSW Parliamentary Papers, 1912, Vol.3, pp.265-271, 319-352.
Report of the Department of Public Works for the year ended 30 June, 1913 p.41 in NSW Parliamentary Papers, 1913, Vol.2, pp.844-845, 873.

Endnotes
(1) Report of the Department of Public Works for the year ended 30 June, 1912, pp.5-6, 59 in NSW Parliamentary Papers, 1912, Vol.3, pp.265-271, 319.
(2) Ibid., pp.59-63, in NSW Parliamentary Papers, 1912, Vol.3, pp.319-323.
(3) Ibid., pp.63-66, in NSW Parliamentary Papers, 1912, Vol.3, pp.323-326.
(4) Ibid., pp.72-74, in NSW Parliamentary Papers, 1912, Vol.3, pp.332-334.
(5) Ibid., pp.66-67, in NSW Parliamentary Papers, 1912, Vol.3, pp. 326-327.
(6) Report of the Department of Public Works for the year ended 30 June 1913, p.41 in NSW Parliamentary Papers, 1913, Vol. 2, pp.844-845, 873.