WATER SUPPLY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27358, 6 April 1950, Page 6

WATER SUPPLY

Restrictions On Use HOSING PROHIBITED Restrictions on the use of water were decided upon by the Water Committee of the City Council at a meeting yesterday morning. The restrictions and other decisions of the committee, which come into effect immediately, are:— 1. The use of hoses for any purpose whatsoever is prohibited. 2. The flushing of urinals is prohibited except by an attendant at two-hourly intervals. 3. The high-level augmenting supply to the low levels system is to be shut off. This will have the effect of reducing the water pressure to the central city area to a slight extent. The city reservoirs held a total storage of 95,786,000 gallons yesterday—a drop of 2,410,000 gallons m 24 hours. When full, the reservoirs hold a total of 149,000,000 gallons. The chairman of the Water Committee, Cr N. D. Anderson, told the Daily Times yesterday that the fullest cooperation of the public in avoiding waste of water was required. If this were given, he said, the possibility of further restrictions if the dry weather continued might be obviated. Cr Anderson said that the committee was anxious not to inflict on the public any more restrictions than were necessary. It was only after careful consideration, and with the realisation that the water storage was falling at the rate of more than 2,000,000 gallons a day, that the committee had faced up to a position that it had hoped to avoid this year. “ Should the water storage position improve, the committee will immediately reconsider the matter, and will relax the restrictions, which at the moment will not inconvenience the citizens to any great extent,” Cr Anderson said. ‘‘As chairman of the committee, however, 1 must indicate that, should there be no improvement in the water position very shortly, the committee will reluctantly be obliged to impose further restrictions. It is intended to avoid this inconvenience to the public as long as possible, but additional restrictions on the use of water may be necessary in the interests of all.” The chairman said that it was for this reason that the committee asked every citizen to avoid wasting water in any way. Cr Anderson added that it was hoped that the electrical installations at the Wingatui bore would be completed early next week, and, all being well, the bore should be in operation within a few days of the finish of the work. When this occurred, as had previously been indicated, it was hoped that the city water supply would be augmented by 750,000 to 1,000,000 gallons of water a day.