The story of Moon Creek, the water tower and the town’s first piped water

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Until the building of the water tower in 1903,  Cambridge was without a piped water supply. Residents had to cart water from creeks and springs, or rely on rain collection tanks for their daily needs.

There was no pressurised reticulated water system and fires had to be fought by the bucket brigade established in 1879.

As early as 1882 the Town Board called for ideas to establish a reticulated water system for the town. A number of schemes were proposed, some were prohibitively expensive and none were actioned:

• several residents suggesting a gravitation scheme where water could be channelled into town storage tanks from hill creeks at Maungakawa or Maungatautari.
• Another suggested was raising water by use of a floating water wheel moored in the Waikato river.
• Local farmer and land agent William Moon, who leased domain allotment land at the end of Queen Street, had been carrying out drainage operations on his leasehold to drain swampy land by concentrating the water flow of several hill side springs into one channel, then into the river at the Moon Creek (Te Puna Marama) waterfall. William Moon told the Board that he believed there was sufficient water to meet the requirements of the town, advising them the water was clear and cold and ideal for domestic purposes. He suggested the water could be raised to the required level by way of an hydraulic ram. [See Waikato Times, 19 Dec, p2]

The drought of 1887 had a serious effect on Cambridge and this increased the call for a town water supply.  Nearly every house had to buy water, including it being carried from Moon creek.[Waikato Times, 15 Jan 1887, p2]

The local body also wanted sufficient water pressure to operate fire hoses. It was some years before a final plan was realised.

Eventually in 1902 plans were prepared and a tender called for a concrete dam and filter bed at the springs, an engine and pump shed on the flat land below, and a 21 metre water tower above the springs capable of holding 75,000 litres of water.

 

While construction was taking place cast iron pipes were laid through the main streets. Over 16 kilometres of underground pipes had been laid[3] by the time the scheme was commissioned. (see Waikato Argus, 13 Mar 1903, p4)

At 3pm on Wednesday the 11^th of March 1903 the Mayor Mr Buckland started the engine, then he walked up to the tower and turned on the water. The official party then moved to Victoria St where a hydrant and hose were attached to the main, and an exhibition of the water pressure given.

The £6,000** project used new technology with underground cast iron water piping which was said to be the cheapest water scheme in the country.

in 1927, having served the town well for 24 years,  the Moon Creek water supply was replaced by a gravitation scheme, with storage tanks being built on the Pukekura property of Mr J. J. Bridgeman.

 

 

 

 

 

Written and researched by Grant Middlemiss, 25 June 2023

** NZ reserve bank inflation calculator £6,000 equals $1,267,000 in 2023