WATER POLLUTED.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 60, Issue 44, 1 December 1939, Page 4

WATER POLLUTED.

DEAD SHEEP IN THE RACES. WARNING ISSUED TO FARMERS. A serious view is taken by the Ashburton County Council of complaints received recently of water-races being polluted by dead 1 sheep. In some cases tb offences were apparently due .to carelessness on the part of farmers, and the Council decided to-day that warnings be issued and' that action he taken against offenders in the future.

Owing to a complaint received, an inspection was made of watqr-races in the Mount Hutt district, stated a report of the Inspector (Mr E. W. Johnston). It was found that sheep were allowed to get into the races and be drowned and no care exercised to get them out. In one deep and narrow race two lambs and one sheep were pulled out while lie was there, and the sheep was in a decomposed state. The sheep had no chance to get out, especially if in a weak state, and were then carried down to the next farmer who pulled them out. “In allowing this state of affairs to exist there is no consideration shown for the users of the water lower down, which in many cases, is used for domestic and in very dry weather has to be restored for drinking purposes,” said the report. “Polluting a water course or waterrace is a breach of the Health Act and also the County Council Water-Race By-Laws. A warning is given to all farmers that where pollution of a. water course is made by allowing sheep to remain in the water, action will be taken without further warning. The position was even worse than might be assumed from the report, said Mr J. Can-. The seriousness of the matter this season was due to a large extent by the heavy mortality in sheep as a result of the very dry conditions. ...

Mr J. Moore said that the trouble was not confined to the Mount Hutt district, but existed, in all marts "of the County. “It is sometimes due'to carelessness,” he said, “hut in most cases farmers get dead sheep outref their races quick and lively.”