The reason behind the sudden failure of one of the Kai Iwi bores, which supplies around one-third of the city's water, has been identified.

Following the failure last Friday, engineers removed the filter and sections of the pump from No. 3 Bore to check for mechanical fault. The four-month-old pump stopped working unexpectedly – pumps normally run for three years before they need an overhaul.

On Monday Mayor Michael Laws inspected the pump filter with (from left) Infrastructure Manager Julian Reweti, water team members Colin Hovey, Robert van Bentum, Dave Rudolph, Tim Thorne and Chief Executive Kevin Ross.

On Tuesday, a specialist camera was put down the bore to check for damage to the screens around the hole. The camera revealed no obvious breakages in the bore but showed that many of the screens had failed, allowing sand to get into the pump.

The pump has been stripped and was found to have been destroyed by sand, which caused the mechanical failure.

There are a number of short-term measures which will be put in place to ensure adequate water supply to Wanganui over the peak water consumption period to the end of March.

Despite the failure of the pump, there is free-flow water at No. 3 Bore which will be fed into the city's reservoir at Westmere. The quantity of water is significantly less than when the bore is fully functioning.

Work has been non-stop at the soft-water Abelard Bore (pictured) in Westmere, to get water into the reservoir. A pipeline is currently under construction and will supply water to Wanganui from next Thursday (February 5).

Work is also continuing at Heloise Bore, close to the city's reservoir, and it is anticipated that water from this bore will be available in three weeks' time. Abelard and Heloise bores were identified in late November 2008, as part of the Council's 'soft water' project.

Mayor asks for water restraint

"The continued supply of Wanganui's water is in the hands of Wanganui people," said Mayor Michael Laws. "It is expected that the current restriction on sprinklers and reduced water pressure will continue for at least three weeks.

"During the summer Wanganui uses between 30-36M litres of water a day. Without the full use of No. 3 bore, the Council is able to supply 27M litres of water a day from the various bores throughout the district. We need to reduce water consumption by 4M litres per day.

"Water consumption will be monitored on a daily basis. If we find water consumption is rising despite the restrictions in place, we will need to look at more radical water conservation measures. Let's hope we don't need to go down that path."

View chart (PDF, 13KB) showing Wanganui's water consumption up until 27 January 2009.

What does 4M litres of water look like?
4M litres of water is around 3.5 times more water than the Splash Centre complex of swimming pools holds.

What are sensible measures?
There are a variety of things you can do every day to reduce your water consumption - not just during the summer months.

• There is currently a ban on using sprinklers until further notice. Hand-held hosing is permitted.
• Take showers not baths and try to keep your shower time to less than 5 minutes. Even a low flow shower head can use 35 litres of water during a 5 minute shower.
• Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth.

Further suggestions for reducing water usage can be found at www.sustainability.govt.nz.

You are invited to see Johnny Devlin, New Zealand's first rock 'n' roll star, play live in Majestic Square at 12.30pm on Wednesday, February 4.

He will be performing on stage and will receive honorary citizenship from Wanganui Mayor Michael Laws, followed by an invitation only Civic Reception.

Devlin is back in Wanganui, where his early career began, to play a gig at the NZ Masters Games. Johnny made his stage solo debut in a talent quest at the Wanganui Opera House in 1951. He later formed the River City Ramblers with his brothers but in 1956 Johnny discovered Elvis Presley and his future rock career was set.

In 1958 the 'Satin Satan' recorded 'Lawdy Miss Clawdy', topping the charts and selling 100,000 copies without ever being played on radio. He toured the country to sell-out audiences who literally tore off his clothes wanting a piece of him – the original bad boy of NZ rock.

Devlin has continued his music career from his home in Australia, recording and regularly touring, and recently celebrated 50 years in the entertainment business. He was the second inductee to the NZ Music Hall of Fame and in January 2008 was made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to entertainment.

Read more about Johnny.

The Wanganui District Council is working with the Wanganui Resene PaintWise Programme. Wanganui residents can return unwanted paint (no solvents accepted) and paint packaging to the Resene Colour Shop. It is then mixed into varying shades of grey paint. Resene donates the resulting good quality waterborne Resene paint to community groups in Wanganui.

Residents can return up to 10 packs of any brand of paint free of charge.

Where: Resene Colour Shop, 17 Wilson Street, Wanganui; phone 348 0048
When: Deliver it on the last Friday of every month
Time: Between 2.00pm and 4.00pm

Diary these dates
Friday, 27 February 2009
Friday, 27 March 2009

You can also help by reporting graffiti as and when it happens. Telephone the Graffiti Hotline 349 0500 for removal of graffiti in highly visible areas of Wanganui.

The Council is undertaking a policy review of the management of the Wanganui War Memorial Hall and we are seeking public feedback. We encourage you to have your say.

The vision for the War Memorial Hall is to provide a high quality facility that caters for a range of community and commercial activities, while preserving our historic heritage.

The goals of the Wanganui War Memorial Draft Policy are:

• To promote the War Memorial Hall, and Concert Chamber within the hall, as a versatile community and conference venue.
• To ensure the accessibility of the War Memorial Hall complex for public use.
• To recognise and preserve the building's historic classification.
• To retain the building as a memorial to those who gave their lives for their country in World War II.
• To encourage optimal use of the hall to cater for a range of community and commercial events.

The draft policy covers:

• Facility management
• Parking
• Use and trading hours
• Charging
• General bookings

A key component of the draft policy is that the hall shall not be available for rental by transient, itinerant traders. The intention of this is to ensure our local businesses and economy are supported.

Copies of the draft Wanganui War Memorial Policy and feedback forms are available for public inspection, during normal working hours, at the Customer Service Desk at the Wanganui District Council, 101 Guyton Street, phone (06) 349 0001, the District Library, Queens Park, Wanganui.

The consultation period opens on 21 January 2009 and closes on 13 March 2009 at 5.00pm.

Your feedback is welcomed and should be addressed to:
Wanganui District Council War Memorial Hall Draft Policy
Wanganui District Council
PO Box 637
Wanganui 4540

Other methods of delivering your feedback:

• Deliver to the Customer Services desk at 101 Guyton Street
• Fax to the Council on (06) 349 0000
• Email us

We welcome members of the public to attend our meetings

Council – Monday, February 2 (4.00pm)
- Reports Direct to Council – Decisions of the 10-Year Plan Workshop held 16 January 2009; Sister Cities' Relationships; Elected Members' Remuneration for 2009-2010 Financial Year; Delegation of Authority to Declare a State of Local Emergency; Council Spokesmanships 2009; Establishment of Working Parties; Review of Noise Control Procedures; Tram: Stage 1 Track Construction; Councillors' Reports. Confidential Items: Chief Executive's Report; Parks and Open Spaces Review

Youth – Monday, February 9 (4.00pm)

Hearings – Wednesday, February 12 (4.00pm, Committee Room 2)

Wanganui Rural Community Board – Wednesday, February 18 (4.00pm, Committee Room 2)

Unless otherwise noted, meetings are held at 3.00pm in the Council Chamber, 1st Floor, Municipal Office Building, 101 Guyton Street, Wanganui.

Agendas are available at the Customer Services Counter, Municipal Office Building, 101 Guyton Street, Wanganui, and the Wanganui District Library two working days prior to the meeting.