Pipes burst in suburb again

GREYMOUTH’S hilltop suburb Arnott Heights is becoming a geyser land. water pipes blew again on Thursday, for the third time in less than a week, and now residents are blowing their tops.

‘‘It’s the ninth time this year we’ve had issues with the water, twice with the pump and the rest with ruptures,’’ resident Tony Beaufort said.

‘‘They [the Grey District Council] need a complete replacement of the network.’’

Resident Leigh Sullivan said the council had been remiss in how it notified residents when a pipe burst.

‘‘People never get a notification; a lot of people up here are solo parents and don’t have computers. There’s no reason they can’t do a leaflet drop — it’d only take quarter of an hour to walk around.’’

The council Facebook page said the water went off at 11am but Mr Sullivan said it was more like 9am. The taps were dry until just after 3pm.

On Monday, the council said its contractor had advised the rupture that occurred on Sunday last week had been fixed and no further problems were expected.

Residents have made their views known to the council over some time and most recently were invited to make a presentation at a longterm plan meeting on May 29.

In addition to the water supply, residents also voiced concerns about the condition of roads and footpaths in the suburb.

‘‘There is a whole list of issues on Arnott Heights but water is the one we want to concentrate on.’’

Both men said Arnott Heights appeared to be ignored by the council, compared with others areas of Greymouth.

‘‘We’re having to fight all the time,’’ Mr Beaufort said. ‘‘They don’t have a decent mainten ance programme for Arnott Heights.’’

The disgruntled residents met assets and engineering manager Mel Sutherland on Thursday, and also wrote to Mayor Tony Kokshoorn, calling for an immediate report into the quality of the water supply in Arnott Heights, and repairs.

Mr Sutherland said the issue was ‘‘frustrating all round’’.

‘‘It’s a recognition of the age and condition of the pipes, which council has recognised as being an issue districtwide and has increased budgets to accelerate replacements through the longterm plan.’’

Asked if a full replacement of the water system would occur, Mr Sutherland said ‘‘we’d have to prioritise — we’re getting breaks in other areas.

‘‘We need to get the water back on straight away. We need to look at those aspects and then look at the bigger picture for the whole area.’’