WATER SUPPLY LOW

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 80, Issue 7152, 16 January 1950, Page 4

WATER SUPPLY LOW

TEN DAY’S RESERVE SUPPLY LEFT PGSSIBI.« SERIOUS SITUATION The prolonged dry spell which the district has experiencea over the last Tew weeks is being reflected in the depleted condition of the reservoir on Pirongia Mountain from which the town water supply is obtained. For some days past the pressure in the mains has been noticeably weaker and yesterday morning the situation was appraised by the borough overseer, Mi R. H. Close. He made a trip to the reservoir and found that the level had dropped mcio than five and a-half feet from normal and was falling at a rate of approximately 2 and a-half inches per day. Mi* Close estimated that with reasonable restrictions and co-operation on the part of the consumers, there would be sufficient water to last the town ten days in the event ci there being no heavy fall of rain within that period. It is apparent that it is incumbent on everyone to cooperate with the controlling authority and obey whatever restrictions they .mpose loi the conservation of the remaining reserves of water. Compliance with the restrictions will mean I some slight inconvenience until such i rime as the drought breaks. Reason prompts that it is far better to comply with restrictions rather than to lose the convenient tap supply and suffer possible hardship. The Borough Council this morning issued notice of emergency restrictions and the use of garden hoses is totally prohibited until further notice. They also made a request that wherever possible water should not be wasted. Many gardens will suffer as a result of the restrictions, but it could be respectfully suggested that waste water from the bathroom could be used to water the garden with. Water Carried to Kihikihi Kihikihi is in a much worse plight than Te Awamutu and some residents whose supply of rain water has run out have had to have water carried to them by trucks which have been converted into tankers. The township has a water scheme under construction, but due to holdups it has not been able to be completed. At the present time, however, everything is prepared for the completion of the scheme and an ample, and it is believed, excellent supply of water will be available there in the very near future. So far, the district has been reasonably well off insofar as the supply of water is concerned, for other centres had to apply restrictions much earlier and the plight of one in particular, Waihi, is very serious. Water is indispensable, not only for the preservation of life, but also for health purposes, and if the residents of other centres can respond to urgent calls for conservation of water, then it can safely be as&ureu chat the residents of Te Awamutu will do so as well. Dairy Production Retarded What appeared to be a record season at the beginning of the year has been seriously retarded by the lack of rain. A rapid fall in dairy production, much more than is normal for this part of the year, has been noticeable for the past fortnight, Although a good fall of rain could possibly halt tn- dprl’n'' for a short time, the fall oh in production must be written off as being irrecoverable. Many farmers have had to feed out ensilage and hay to their herds in a desperate effort to try and keep production, but even so, the decline is becoming very pronounced. 'The mild breezes which have accompanied the spell of fine weather have been devastating to the farmers, even if they have been welcome to the townsfolk.