Timaru Water Supply

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31631, 18 March 1968, Page 12

Timaru Water Supply

Sir, —It is reported that the Timaru reservoir is down to a dangerous level and that the pipeline is faulty and liable to break down at any minute through flood slips and other causes. Meantime the civic authorities have failed to take proper steps to restrict the use of water and to augment the supply. It is time the people had an authoritative report on: (a) the present storage position, (b) the state of the present pipe line, its capacity to carry sufficient water, and the state of its efficiency: (c) the steps being taken to augment the water supply to cope with the greater use of water due to the progress now and in the future of Timaru city. I have had something to do in the past with the Timaru water supply for a great number of years, and I am very apprehensive of the present and future position.—Yours, etc., J. J. BROSNAN.

March 13, 1968. [The Timaru Town Clerk (Mr J. A. Goodwin) replies: “A comprehensive report on available water sources, and the delivery and treatment of a supply of water to meet the anticipated needs of the city, together with a consideration of the economics of the future development of the supply system and city reticulation, was submitted by the then City Engineer to the City Council in 1965. Copies of this report were placed in the public library for issue to borrowers. A further report by the City Engineer on the development of additional water supplies for the city was considered by the council in February of this year and a report on this was in the ‘Timaru Herald’ of February 10. A planned programme of maintenance and improvement to the existing water supply system for the first five years of a 20-year period submitted by the City Engineer has been recommended by the works committee for adoption by the City Council at its monthly meeting on March 18. In addition there have been statements from time to time by the chairman of the works committee and the City Engineer on the quantity of water in storage and when necessary an appeal to consumers

to conserve water. The latest statement was in the issue of the ‘Timaru Herald’ of February 28.”]