Westport running out of water after slips damage water supply
Westport residents are being asked to conserve water after multiple slips stopped water getting to the town's reservoir.
The slips happened during last week’s orange heavy rain event that caused mandatory evacuations on the West Coast, 22 homes to be flooded and road closures.
Buller mayor Jamie Cleine said no water was getting to the town’s reservoir after multiple slips came down in the Sergeant’s Hill area just north of Westport.
“Either the intake pipes are damaged or they are that muddy it is not getting through."
Council staff and contractors were working on the slips and investigating the cause.
The reservoir currently was about 80 per cent full but that would only last days, he said.
As a result, the Emergency Operations Centre was still operational and the state of emergency, which was due to expire on Thursday, was likely to be extended.
A contingency plant could include redirecting some creeks into the reservoir, but it was likely not enough, he said.
“We are bringing in expertise to help us come up with a fix and we are all busy scurrying around to figure out what we can stack up,” he said.
Waimangaroa, just north of Westport, had been without water since Thursday last week after slips damaged the pipes along Conns Creek Rd, but the supply was restored on Monday afternoon.
What's your favourite tomato recipe?
Kia ora neighbours. We know your tomato plants are still growing, but we're looking ahead to the harvest already! If you've got a family recipe for tomatoes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine to share with our readers. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our February 2025 issue.
Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we're having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️
Poll: When should the tree go up? 🎄
From what we've heard, some Christmas trees are already being assembled and decorated.
What are your thoughts on the best time to get your Christmas tree up?
-
4.6% Second half of November
-
43.5% 1st December
-
17.5% A week before Christmas
-
33.3% Whenever you wish
-
1.1% Other - I'll share below