UNDERGROUND WATER

Press, Volume XCII, Issue 27750, 30 August 1955, Page 12

UNDERGROUND WATER

NEED FOR CONTROL IN CHRISTCHURCH SEEN LESS AVAILABLE AT MAIN STATION ! ‘The underground water supply is so important to Christchurch that nothing should be permitted which in i any way prejudicially affects either the quantity or the purity of that I asset, said the works committee, rej porting to the City Council last evenImg on a recent conference of local ; authorities w’hich discussed the estab- : lishment of an underground water I authority. ! “Although there is no suggestion of ; imminent failure in the artesian water supply, the consumption of under1 ground water in the metropolitan !area has very greatly increased over ! the last 20 years and is thought now !to be increasing at an even greater rate,” the report said. "There is every probability of a much larger use of this water for cooling in factory processes or in air conditioning, ana for other purposes which are now small users of water.

"At the Beckenham or main pumping station, there is not the same amount of water readily available as previously. “There is undoubtedly considerable wastage of artesian water. The disposal of this water running to waste and of water used for cooling or similar purposes could become a very real drainage problem. “There is now no really satisfactory way to prevent contamination occurring. "Existing legislation makes it very difficult to institute control unless it can be proved before a commission that shortages or contamination exist or are obviously going to occur.” If the present Underground Water Act was inadequate, fresh legislation must be sought, the committee considered.

In a report on water consumption, the committee drew attention to the average increase over last year of 500,000 gallons a day in July. During the month 252.170.000 gallons were consumed, about 15,000,000 more than in July, 1954.