USE OF EXISTING SCHEMES

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27873, 23 January 1956, Page 12

USE OF EXISTING SCHEMES

MORE WATER SUPPLIED

Record quantities of water were supplied to farmers on the AshburtonLyndhurst and the Mayfield-Hinds irrigation schemes last week. On the Ashburton-Lyndhurst scheme 3079 acre feet of water were supplied—--555 acre feet more than in the week from March 1 to March 7, 1954, which was the previous record period. On the Mayfield-Hinds system the quantity supplied reached 2120 acre feet, representing a steep advance of 895 acre feet on the previous week’s record figure. Figures for the season also show a marked increase on last year, in part a reflection of the extremely dry weather, but to some extent a result of the increased area prepared for irrigation. On the Levels plain irrigation scheme the rise in water usage has been retarded because the Opihi river, from which the water for the scheme is derived, is low. On the Ashburton-Lyndhurst scheme, where the area border-dyked for irrigation has increased in the last year by 1418 acres to 14,736 acres, the amount of water supplied for the season up to January 15, 23.835 acre feet, was 5530 acre feet more than at the same time last year.

Water supplied so far on the May-field-Hinds scheme is more than double that of last year. Up to last Sunday it was 11.321 acre feet, compared with 5271 at the same stage of last year. In the last year, land prepared for irrigation under this scheme has increased by 1383 acres to 3880 acres.

Water consumption on the Levels plain scheme is up to 1105 acre feet to 3860 acre feet, with only 29 more acres prepared to make the total area ready for irrigation to 1082. On the smaller Redcliffs scheme, where the land prepared has increased from 480 acres to 615 in the last year, tne amount of water supplied this season is almost three times as great as at the same date last year—ll2o acre feet, compared with 389. Indicative of the dry conditions over the province, the rainfall r-n the Ash-burton-Lyndhurst area for the last six end a half months is 3.94 in less than at this time last year, on the MayfieldHinds area 5.69 in less, on the Levels plain area 4.41 in down, and on the Redcliffs area 2.65 in lower.