Sure, the rates have increased by 47.95% over the past three years, more than any other Otago or Southland local body, but look what the council is prepared to spend on our welfare.
Still not a bad return for the locals and probably more than they’ve paid in rates in spite of that 47.95% rise.
Patearoa’s water comes from the gentle Sowburn which meanders through the settlement, but its clear waters are deceiving, the council tells us. They could suffer from high turbidity, and you don’t need me to tell you that turbidity is cloudiness caused by suspended particles of silt, clay and organic matter, particularly after heavy rainfall.
Thus, while heavy rainfall is almost unknown in Patearoa, we’re under instructions to boil water for the next few months while the new scheme is installed.
But the caring council don’t just give orders, it explains why. The full story came in a letter from the council.
Now, my letters from the CODC usually touch on unpaid rates, the urgent need to register the dog or a plea to return library books, so I opened this one with trepidation.
What a relief it was to find it was about water. I learned that protozoa in the water was the culprit and that it would soon be filtered out of our water. As you know protozoa are microscopic organisms such as cryptosporidium and giardia, which can enter the water from animal faeces.
I didn’t show that part of the letter to the dog who, although he never uses the river as a toilet, is sensitive about such slurs.
To make sure we are on side with all this, the council pulled no punches in describing the effects of cryptosporidium and giardia. They can cause gastrointestinal illness such as vomiting and diarrhoea. We were warned that babies, young children, pregnant women, the elderly and people who have weakened immune systems are more at risk of illness and that just about covers the entire population of Patearoa, apart from a few young blokes, who although they drink only Speight’s or DB, have been known to produce at least one of the symptoms of giardia ingestion.
But just scaring the wits out of us is not the role of a caring council. It also provides practical advice and that’s essential if boiling water is something you don’t do too often.
My letter spelt it out: "Boil all water used for: Drinking water, Brushing teeth, Preparing food, Washing fruits and vegetables, Making ice, baby formula, juice and cold beverages."
When it comes to cold beverages, I never put water in whisky so that was a relief. Car washing and watering the garden weren’t mentioned so we’ll have to risk cars vomiting or cabbages with diarrhoea.
Most useful of all were the instructions on how to boil water. They went something like this: first find your water and place it in a non-leaking container capable of withstanding high temperatures.
Bring water to a rolling boil (where bubbles appear and do not disappear when the water is stirred) for one minute or boil a full electric jug until it switches off. Cool the water (do not use ice cubes to do this) and pour it into a clean container with a lid. Refrigerate until needed.
I tried the method, but my first go was not entirely successful as I hadn’t twigged that "freeze" and "refrigerate" are not exactly the same thing. To be honest, I was also a bit confused about the "rolling boil" business.
But the council came to the rescue for those who can’t boil water properly. Just across the road they’ve parked a tank labelled "drinking water" and its free.
The tank is also labelled "Gore District Council". Carting water from Gore to Patearoa for six months will certainly make a hole in that $1.4m but that’s the way it is with big jobs.
The work itself will provide entertainment in a village where watching other people work is a well-ingrained pastime. Although the treatment equipment is being prefabricated elsewhere, I foresee regular gatherings at the top bridge to watch the filtration and ultraviolet treatment systems being added to the humble shed which is the present "treatment station".
While we’re looking at these modern marvels, we’ll wonder how the gold miners of the 1800s, sweltering in summer heat by the Sowburn, ever lived to their 90s as so many did.
I guess they never took water with their whisky either.
— Jim Sullivan is a Patearoa writer.
