Stratford watertight

With water becoming increasingly scarce in the Stratford District, the Stratford District Council recently offered the services of two local plumbing companies to fix any leaking taps in Stratford, Midhirst and Toko urban areas.


Members of the public were able to book the plumbers to come to their houses to address leaky taps, free of charge. In total 59 callouts were made, with just 6 requiring significant fixes. The plumbers were busy for three full days, dealing with the flood of dripping taps throughout the district.


Services Asset Manager Mike Oien said “Leaky taps drip away our precious resource. The plumbing service we offered was basic - no major renovations - but important. Every drop is a tragic waste, so I’m glad the district took us up on our offer.”


Mike hopes that this initiative helped members of the community become more aware of water conservation. “We have water restrictions currently in place, but more dry weather may result in a total water ban like in South Taranaki, where residents are still dealing with ongoing shortages.”


While recent rain has eased the situation somewhat, Mike says restrictions will stay. “The long range forecast is predicting a very dry March, so I’m afraid the pressure is still on to conserve water. The odds and evens system for watering your gardens still applies.”


Further information can be obtained from the Stratford District Council, on 06 765 6099.