TIMARU WATER SUPPLY

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIX, Issue 21867, 21 January 1941, Page 6

TIMARU WATER SUPPLY

Consumption Soars Waste Deprecated The fact that recently residents of Timaru had been using 160 gallons of water a head a day, whereas in Dunedin the normal consumption was assessed at 80 gallons a head a day, was mentioned during a discussion at the Timaru Borough Council last night, when the extravagant waste of water by persons leaving hoses running all night was severely deprecated. The matter was brought up by Cr W. H. Hall, chairman of the Works Committee, who said that people had thought that there was a shortage of water as the Council had advertised that unattended garden hoses must not be used. There was plenty of water, but numerous complaints had been received of waste of water through hoses being left running all night. All round the town water had been running across the footpaths and into the gutters, and people lower down had had their grounds saturated through the thoughtlessness of their neighbours. Water could be used in a reasonable manner, but for the daily consumption to reach 3,000,000 gallons was ridiculous in a town the size of Timaru. Cr. P. B. Foote said that his immediate re-action to the advertisement had been that something was wrong with the water supply and no doubt the public had thought similarly. The Mayor (Mr W. G. Tweedy) said that he had been a little perturbed by the recent publication of an advertiseforbidding the use of hoses for gardens unless they were held in the hand. It no doubt created the impression that there was a shortage of water, but such was not the case, but there had been a considerable wastage The consumption had reached the total of 2,000,000 gallons a day and it had then risen to 3,000,000 gallons a day, a huge volume considering the size of Timaru, so steps had had to be taken to stop it. There had been a considerable wastage of water, partly due to the recent dry spell, and partly to the fact that, as the new pipe line had been completed, residents thought that there was an ample supply and that it did not matter if it was wasted. The Council hoped the people would use the water in a reasonable manner.