THEFT is one possibility behind mysteriously high water demand in Piopio.
If residents “see, or are aware of, any suspected water leaks; or if they see a contractor or anyone else taking water from fire hydrant,” they are urged to contact the Waitomo District Council, communications officer Jenelle Burnell said.
A message on the council website warns that current usage has been so “extremely high” the water treatment plant and reservoir have struggled to match demand.
It asks residents to conserve water “urgently” to allow the reservoir to replenish.
Jenelle said the cause remained unknown, although staff had investigated the problem.
“At this stage we are unable to determine why demand is so high.Water services staff have been working in the town to check the water mains and fix leaks, as well as identify other areas of concern. Council is also trying to determine if there is an issue of excessive water usage we are unaware of.”
The current issues are unrelated to the water main which failed and flooded Piopio College two years ago, which has since been replaced.
Jenelle said council has an annual work programme in place to renew aged water mains, and also replaced water mains when there was a pipe burst or failure, and a new reservoir was built in Piopio in 2019.
Despite the leak, Piopio did not have any water restrictions this summer due to high rainfall.
