THE ANGLESEY COUNTY WATER‐SCHEME

Abstract

SUMMARYAn interesting description of this scheme was given by Mr. W. H. Austin, B.Sc. (Eng.), County Water Engineer, Llangefni, Anglesey.In his introductory remarks the speaker stressed the important and steadily growing part that dairy farming plays in Anglesey's economy. In the 10‐year period from 1938 milk production in Anglesey increased more than fourfold and is now about six million gallons per annum.The aim of the County Water Scheme is to make supplies of piped water available in all parts of the country. By 1940 piped water supplies had been provided for most of the urban areas, but little had been done in respect of the rural districts, which is not surprising and more or less in line with the position in East Britain generally.The beginnings of the Anglesey scheme trace back to the Local Government Act, 1929, which empowered County Councils and Rural District Councils to contribute towards the cost of water schemes, and the Rural Water Supplies Act, 1934, under which a sum of £ 1,000,000 was provided for grants towards rural water supply schemes. This led in Anglesey to the setting up in 1934 of a Joint Committee representative of the County and Rural District Councils, to which separate schemes were submitted by the rural authorities, but eventually agreement was reached for their co‐ordination into one large scheme for the whole county.Little progress was made, however, until in 1940 matters came to a head with the arrival of thousands of evacuees, troops and munition workers, most of whom were from urban areas and quite unused to water shortages. Government intervention and the pressure of events then soon led to the preparation of a comprehensive scheme, the central feature of which was to be an impounding reservoir to hold 400 million gallons on the Afon Cefni, in the centre of the island. This scheme was adopted and the required powers obtained for carrying out and financing the necessary works in the Anglesey County Council (Water, etc.) Act, 1944.In the concluding part of his address the speaker gave particulars of the nature and cost of the supply and distribution works now completed which form a very substantial portion of the whole scheme.For many members of the Conference, added interest was given to the address by a visit to the Cefni Waterworks in the afternoon in the course of a motor coach tour of the whole island.