Water alert in Warrington

A small Dunedin seaside settlement is being urged to be ''water aware'' or residents might find themselves in ''dire straits''.

Foote Haulage dispatcher John Mason said if the sunny weather continued, there would be a flood of calls for deliveries to top up water tanks in Warrington.

''It is going to get into dire straits shortly if it doesn't rain. There are going to be a lot of people screaming for it,'' Mr Mason said.

Dunedin City Council water and waste group manager Laura McElhone said the council was having ''minor difficulties'' with supplying water to Warrington.

The council was managing the difficulties by moving water around in the main supply.

However, residents using large quantities of water made the management more difficult, so Warrington residents needed to be ''water aware'' and consider their water use.

''People not wasting water in that area would be beneficial,'' Dr McElhone said.

Ken Whyte, of Warrington, said the shortage of water signalled the council connecting the settlement to the Dunedin water supply with a small-bore pipeline was a failure.

''Myself and others thought it was a very cheap job ... if we are short of water now, then it is a failing of the engineering staff at the council.''

Dr McElhone said Warrington was on a restricted water scheme and the small-bore pipeline provided a certain amount of main water supply to the tanks of Warrington residents.

''You can't use [water] the same way you do in town; once your tank is empty, it will only refill slowly, and during the Christmas holidays people are using water more rapidly.''

Council water production manager Gerard McCombie said the rain on New Year's Eve was ''handy'' but was not significant.

Between 50mm and 80mm of rain would be ideal.

''You don't want a big dump; you want a nice lazy drizzle over three or four days.''

Mr McCombie said Warrington was connected to the Mt Grand reservoir about six or seven years ago.

The ''steady dry spell'' coupled with extra demand for water as people holidayed in Warrington meant residents needed to be careful with their water.

''Use you water wisely and efficiently,'' he advised.

shawn.mcavinue@odt.co.nz

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