Water

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27125, 22 August 1953, Page 6

Water

Water is such a commonplace that its importance as one of the greatest and most necessary of natural resources is sometimes overlooked. The Underground Water Bill and the Waters Pollution Bill, now on the Parliamentary Order Paper, intimately concern almost everyone, and are of particular importance to Christchurch. The city and suburbs depend on underground water for a pure and abundant supply, and the pollution of the Heathcote and Avon rivers and their estuary has become an urgent problem. As far as pollution is concerned the bill represents no immediate or obvious advance on the existing law in Christchurch, because the Christchurch District Drainage Act gives broad powers to the Drainage Board and the Minister of Marine to control the discharge of offensive wastes into the rivers and the estuary—powers that must soon be used. The Heathcote, particularly, in its lower reaches has become a noisome, open sewer instead of a cherished natural feature in a city that has few enough. The bill is nevertheless important, partly because it deals in. much greater detail with the sources and mitigation of pollution and partly because it sets up a representative advisory council to tackle pollution on a national scale. The council’s powers are chiefly «to investigate and recommend; and it is left to the Government to give effect to its recommendations by regulations. Experience in Christchurch does not suggest that this power will be used lightly, or in disregard of legitimate interests, quite apart from specific exemptions in the bill itaelf. Local authorities are also

given authority to make by-laws dealing with pollution, and to relax them in appropriate cases. The principle of the bill is excellent. There may be room for machinery amendments after the views of local bodies and others interested have been heard.

The Underground Water Bill introduces a new principle into the law in line both with overseas precedents and with the evidence of a growing n6ed in ,New Zealand. There is a very real danger that too many persons may indiscriminately use the ancient common law right to tap underground water, resulting in waste. There is also the danger that underground water may become polluted by trade wastes or sewage. Though there is no indication of pollution in Christchurch water supplies yet, .it is obviously desirable to act before it has occurred. As for supplies, they are generally adequate at present; but it is unlikely that they will always be adequate for a growing population if water is wasted. The bill gives power for the constitution of local underground water authorities, which may be one local body acting for all the local authorities in a group, an ad hoc body representing all the local bodies in the group, or the catchment board of the district. Such an authority is given reasonable, but not, on the face of it, excessive, powers to conserve and protect supplies, while existing rights are fairly preserved. Well administered, the bill should do much to achieve its object of protecting the proper interests and the reasonable requirements of all who have to use artesian water. Local authorities have been asking for such legislation for years. An interesting, and, it may be hoped, significant, provision in the Underground Water Bill is that catchment boards may be constituted Underground Water Authorities. It may be well enough at. first to leave this responsibility to the territorial local bodies whose residents use artesian water, because they are more directly concerned than catchment boards, which have many problems dlready on their hands. In Christchurch, for instance, the metropolitan local authorities will probably set up their own authority. In the not-so-long run, however, catchment boards are the logical authorities to deal with both underground water and the pollution of rivers and streams. Their districts usually cover complete artesian areas and river systems, so that they are well placed to watch water supplies from source to consumer, and, in addition, they are not concerned in the possibly conflicting interests of consuming local bodies. Sooner or later a national policy of water conservation administered by a national authority and regional authorities will be necessary. The catchment board organisation already exists, and its adaptation to this purpose would be the simplest means of ensuring for all time the water so essential to the industrial progress and the well-being of the people of New Zealand.