Towns running dry

Press, 20 February 1979, Page 3

Towns running dry

The shortage of water in some North Canterbury townships is critical. A total ban on hosing has been imposed in Oxford County and several other local authorities threaten a total ban if well levels do not improve. The Rangiora Borough, which has had restricted hosing for the last three weeks, yesterday imposed hand-held hosing only in the township; The Hurunui County Council has also imposed hand-held hosing in the twonships of Hawarden and Waikari All fear that an emergency, such as fire, could severely tax water supplies. The Oxford County works superintendent (Mr B. Barrett) said yesterday that there were 200,000 litres in the reservoir which normally held 450,000 litres. Yesterday morning it had only about 45,000 litres because of the week-end demand.

The reservoir supply was supplemented from a creek. The supply was chlorinated, said Mr Barrett.

The Ayers Street well in Rangiora dropped by 550 mm in 21 days. The well level is 2.1 m. The submersible pumps need 1.4 m of water to work effectively which means that the borough wells now have a margin of only 0.7 m of water.

The Town Clerk (Mr A. F. Rapley) said yesterday that because of the heavy demand it had been difficult to maintain the water level in the Ayers Street reservoir. There was a heavy week-end demand.

In an effort to fill the reservoir the borough’s water reticulation was fed from auxiliary wells at Lillybrook and Dudley Park from 10 p.m. on Sunday. Yesterday morning the Dudley Park system had cut out and for a short period the mains pressure dropped to 51b from the normal 801 b, said Mr Rapley.

“The co-operation of all residents on the borough’s scheme is requested or a total hosing ban will have to be imposed,” he said. In Hawarden-Waikari a

sudden drop had occurred in the level of the Waitohi well, said Mr P. Le Comte, an engineer with the Hurunui County. Two pumps had been working to supply the townships’ needs, but the well level had dropped and could supply only one pump.

The demand had been the highest recorded for a one-month period, 137,000 litres of water being used per day, he said. It would appear that people were irrigating their gardens and the supply can not stand this,” said Mr Le Comte. At the rate the well water level was dropping a hosing ban might have to be imposed in the next 48 hours, he said. A supplementary supply was being drawn from the rural water scheme. However, this could only be expected to help the domestic supply and would not be used for hosing, said Mr Le Comte.

Last year hosing restrictions were imposed for six weeks from March 6 to April 17.