SMALL RELIEF

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 19887, 15 March 1939, Page 4

SMALL RELIEF

LIGHT RAINS ONLY borough water supply RESTRICTIONS CONTINUE RECOURSE TO PUMPINGRains which have freshened the greater part of the district during the past two weeks have had only the smallest effect upon the waterconservation area in the Waingako Valley, whence comes the main supply for the Gisborne Borough. The recorded rain at Waingake was only ,25in. for the fortnight, and though this permitted the council to suspend pumping from the Mangnpoike Valley for the meantime, the plant will have to be put in operation again on Monday, if no further rain is experienced, stated the Mayor, Mr. D. W. Coleman, M.P., to-day.

Restrictions on the use of hoses continued, the Mayor stated, and the council was taking proceedings against those who had been discovered ignoring them.

At one stage, prior to the week-end fall of rain, the position was so bad ihat water had to be drawn from the icserve at Taumata Hill to help to build up the pressure, and even with sparing use of litis reserve, the settling tank at Waingake only gained 2ft. in one period of 24 hours. The situation is without precedent in the history of the Gisborne water-suply system, for the greater part of the district has had sufficient rain to carry on with for the meantime, while in the Waingake conservation area, the summer has been almost rainless.

Increase in Consumption

Since the week-end, consumption of water has increased to a degree which indicates a resumption of car-washing, which practice has been prohibited by order of the council. Those who fail to comply with the prohibition will share the penalties of those who previously were detected in the use of borough water for similar non-essential purposes, the Mayor added. Criticism of the water-supply has centred upon the effects of introducing Waipaoa water into the mains, Mr. Coleman commented further. A good deal has been written and said about filth and muck coming through the borough mains. This criticism was totally without justification, for Waipaoa water has been pumped into the mains only for three days during the summer.

Moreover, the greatest care was taken to avoid the introduction of any objectionable matter into the mains, and only a modest proportion of the total supply had come from this source.

In the event of the Wa’ingake and Mnngapoike supply again falling below the volume required for essential purposes, said Mr. Coleman, the council would resort to the Waipaoa River, but in the meantime the public need not concern itself with the objections which had been raised, on the mistaken assumption that pumping from this source was continuous.