After being filtered, the water pumped up from the river was held in two reservoirs located on the South pit-top.

When the first turbine generators were installed around 1910, the reservoirs were also used as cooling ponds. Each turbine generator had its own condenser where the exhaust steam was turned back to water.  The condensers were kept cool by circulating cold water through them. The cooling water and steam condensate was then piped to open ponds and discharged through upwardly directed spray nozzles.

Cooling pond for the turbine generators circa 1920 (FoPP/JST)

When the large turbine generator was installed in 1922, a new  cooling pond was constructed for it, on the south side of the pit-yard. When the smaller generators were subsequently discontinued, the ponds on the South pit-top reverted to reservoirs.  When the main turbine generator was discontinued in the early 1960s, the large cooling pond became the reservoir and those on the pit-top were removed.

Cooling ponds for the turbine generators circa 1938 (JST)

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05 May, 2009