Water and information dries up

Pareora residents are disappointed about the lack of communication during a 24-hour period without water.

Contractors laying a fibre optic cable between Christchurch and Dunedin cut through the town's water pipe about 10am on Wednesday, leaving the residents without water until the problem was fixed by the Timaru District Council's contractors. The repairs were hindered by three separate leaks, all located under a weighbridge pad north of the town.

Resident Yvonne Pringle said while mistakes happened, the frustrating part was not knowing what had happened to the water, or when it would be back on.

"They hit the water pipe, that's fine, that's understandable. It was the fact we were't notified, that's the point. There are only 180 residents here, it wouldn't have taken them long to put something in people's letterboxes."

Top Caffe owner Murray Aldridge said they were unable to make cups of tea or coffee while the water was out and shortly after the taps stopped working he went to see the contractors working to the north of the town.

Initially he thought they had purposely turned the water off while they were working in the area and wanted to know when they would turn it back on.

"I didn't have to ask them, the water was running down the road to meet me," he said. "We've had a few people ringing us to see if we had any water. If they had let people know it would have been all right. I think the thing annoying most people is they didn't say what was happening."

In spite of the lack of water, Mr Aldridge praised the council's contractors, City Care, who had a larger job than first expected.

Timaru District Council drainage and water manager Grant Hall said the contractors who hit the pipes would have to pay for their repair, and there would be discussions "in terms of letting people know what's going on".

The initial leak was fixed by 7pm on Wednesday, but after turning the water on a second leak appeared and by then it was too dark to fix it, Mr Hall said.

After an early start yesterday, a third leak was discovered and it was mid-morning before the water was flowing again.

Mr Hall said residential properties in the town should have water tanks capable of holding a two-day supply and that, although it was unfotunate, pipes were hit from time to time.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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