With water restrictions putting the kibosh on water fun in the sun for Gore and Mataura
children, the Gore District Council is offering free admission to the Gore pool this Friday (26 January) from 3.00pm to 5.00pm.
Both towns are on level 4 water restrictions, which bans the use of unattended hoses,
sprinklers, garden irrigation systems or handheld hoses.
Gore District Mayor Tracy Hicks said unfortunately for children this means no playing under the sprinkler or on the water slide in the backyard.
“We realise water restrictions aren’t much fun for anyone, more so for children on these
hot, sunny days.”
Free entry to the pool for a couple of hours was the Council’s way of giving something back
to the community.
Friday was also the last day of the school holidays so the timing was perfect, Mr Hicks said.
The idea came from one of the Council’s customer services team members.
Chief executive Steve Parry said he had no hesitation endorsing it.
“With children heading back to school next week it’s a tough time financially for some
families, so sending the kids to the pool to cool off can be a challenge.”
He thanked residents for their efforts to conserve water and adhere to the water
restrictions. Both the Gore and Mataura reservoirs were presently holding their own.
3 Waters Asset Manager Matt Bayliss said the Gore reservoir water level was about 70%
while Mataura was operating at its normal levels.
The Council will continue monitoring the reservoir levels. However, with the Mataura River flowing at only 12 cumecs at Gore and more hot weather forecast for the next couple of weeks, level 4 restrictions were likely to remain in the interim, he said.