13 February

Gisborne residents are being asked to urgently conserve water after a break in the city’s main supply, somewhere between the dams and the treatment plant.

Contractors will be out at first light to try and find just where along the pipe the break is.

It is not known exactly where the break is as it is too dangerous to assess.

Dave Wilson, Tairāwhiti Civil Defence controller says there will be teams out at first light to assess the damage and weather permitting a chopper in the air to support the crews.

“We’re asking everyone in the city to immediately restrict all unessential water use. This means drinking and hygiene use only” he says.

“Our town reservoirs are full but we still need to save as much water as possible.”

The region’s industrial water users will be cut off before opening doors in the morning.

“We have a water supply at Waipaoa, however it takes some time to bring online and during storms like this silt build up in the filtration system can hinder flow, so an immediate reduction in use is critical.”

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