Where has all the water gone?

The Okaihau township was left without water late yesterday (14 September) after a pipeline was accidentally broken by heavy machinery working in the area. Emergency repair crews fixed the leak and the reservoir was expected to slowly fill overnight.

But earlier today there was no sign of the reservoir recovering and no water in the pipelines servicing the 158 properties connected to the supply.

The maintenance contractors were back on site early today. By 3 p.m. there was still no sign of the cause of the town's disappearing water.

"We assume that it is a deep-seated leak which is not showing on the surface. A step-by-step investigation has been going on through the day to try to isolate the problem before bringing in heavy machinery to make repairs.

"In the meantime we have two water tankers stationed at Okaihau to service the local community and to provide emergency supplies if required," Water, Wastewater & Refuse Manager Peter Johnson said today.

The painstaking process of elimination would continue until the problem was resolved.

"Hopefully everything will be back to normal by early evening," he said.