Water workers busy as dry spell problems increase
Dry conditions are continuing to stretch the resources of people reliant on rainwater tanks for their domestic supplies, and are making life difficult.
Some rain was forecast earlier this week but at the time of writing, very little had arrived, though heavy falls were forecast for Thursday. A ban prohibiting all fires except cooking fires and gas barbecues remains in force and emergency water deliveries are in demand.
Takaka volunteer fire brigade spokesperson Kevin Hebberd and private water-deliverer Tama Tikao both said that their tankers had been busy. The fire brigades deliver about 10,000 litres for $250 in both their areas. Tama's tanker Waitaha holds 7000 litres, and Tama charges $120 to deliver in the Motupipi/Clifton/Pohara area and slightly more for other areas.
In response to some readers' reaction to last week's story, Mr Hebberd stood by last week's assertion by one brigade member that most tanks were not cleaned out before filling. He said that it was pleasing to see some people taking the opportunity to have their tanks cleaned out while they were empty.
"It seems like common sense for people to have a look inside their tanks before they run out of water. We deliver sparkling water. It's a shame to pump it into dirty tanks."
Mr Hebberd also defended this year's price increase from $200 to $250. "It's been $200 for about three years," he said. "Road miles, diesel and maintenance costs have all gone up in that time so we had to put the price up. We've got to put money into the vehicle to keep it running. Past water sales helped us to buy the new tanker and that allowed us to pass the Leyland on to the Collingwood brigade. The money goes into the brigade trusts. That's how we fund the extra equipment that we wouldn't otherwise get."
Tank cleaner Jon Osmers said that there were a variety of measures people could take to improve the quality of their water once they had clean tanks.
"Devices can divert and collect the first flush of rainwater after a dry period," he said. "That means the stuff that's built up on your roof or in your spouting doesn't even make it into the tank. There are efficient leaf filters and fittings that ensure you're using the most recent water instead of the oldest stuff at the bottom of your tank."
Neil Wilson
