Page 9 - City of Cessnock Water Supply and Sewerage Service Utility

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This pump well was of circular design, a diameter of forty (40') feet and a
depth of thirteen (13') feet when full. This was situated on part of Lot No. 81,
Cessnock Street, Village of Neath, Parish of Stanford. The site was resumed
and gazetted on 9th December, 1908. Water was then to be pumped through an
eight-inch (8 11 ) pipe in a rising main to a 303,500 gallon re-inforced concrete
reservoir to be built on the summit of the range west of Neath Colliery at an
elevation of 395 feet above sea level and sufficient to command the whole of
Aberdare, Cessnock and their neighbourhoods. This reservoir was situated on
part of portion No. 91, Parish of Cessnock. The land was resumed and gazetted
on 25th May, 1908. Neath reservoir is of circular design, with a diameter of
fifty-five (55') feet and a depth of twenty-one (21') feet. The first eight-
inch (8") pipleine was continued to Aberdare, where the system of Street
reticulation water-mains was commenced. Hunter District Water Board supply
was actually first delivered to Cessnock on 5th December, 1908. In the
calendar year of '1908', 52,896,200 gallons of water was delivered from Buttai
to the South Maitland Mining townships.

Neath Pumping Plant comprised a steam pump of the compound Duplex
type. It had an eight-inch (8 11 ) and a twelve-inch (12") steam cylinders and a
seven-inch (7") pump with a twelve-inch (12") stroke. Steam was supplied from
a boiler of the 'Cornich' type. This boiler was twenty-two feet (22') in
length and five feet, six inches (5~') in diameter. The boiler and pump were
housed in a suitable building. Thirty-six (36') feet long by twenty-two (22')
feet wide. The total cost of the Neath Pumping Station was £807.17.0
(1615.70). The eight-inch (8 11 ) rising mainpipe from Neath Pumping Station
to the Neath Reservoir was a distance of one mile four hundred and twenty yards
( 1 mile 420 yards) and a lift of two hundred and forty three feet (243'). The
Neath Pumping Plant was commissioned in September 1908, and the Neath Reservoir
was brought into service on 16th March, 1909. The Neath Reservoir cost £2056.7.1
($4112,71). In the first twelve months of operation, the Neath Pumping Station
re-pumped 12,114,682 gallons of water to the Cessnock ar-ea. The cost of coal used
at the Neath Plant for the same period was 124tons of small coal at eight
shillings (8/-) per ton and 3 tons of large coal at eleven shillings (11/-)
per ton.

Reticulation Street, pipes were extended to South Cessnock, Carrolls'
and Gallaghers' estates and completed by 8th February, 1910. During this same
period the original six-inch (6 11 ) pipe from Heddon Greta to Kurri was replaced
by an eight-inch (8 11 ) pipe.