Farmers struggle in big dry

Allan Willetts could have been living in a Third World country.

Every few days, the 68-year-old retired farmer drove his truck from his rural mid-Canterbury property to nearby Ashburton to collect enough water for him and his wife, Judy, to live on.

Their well ran dry in June for the first time in 28 years on the property. For a month they drank and washed in the water Mr Willetts carted back in a 600-gallon tank filled at his son-in-law's home.

"We were using a bucket bailing water out of the local stock water race to flush the toilet," he said. There is no spare water. When you are carting water you watch every drop.

"You would wash your hands and you didn't tip that bit of dirty water out, you left it, because when you come in the next time at lunchtime and you want to wash your hands again, you have to use that same bit of dirty water."

The Willetts are among many suffering from a dry winter that has left groundwater levels and river flows in much of the eastern South Island at crisis levels.

The lack of rainfall has also raised concerns about the fire season ahead. On Thursday a 24-hour total fire ban was declared in Canterbury and North and Central Otago because of dry, windy conditions.

The ban was lifted yesterday after a series of rural fires were brought under control.

Environment Canterbury, which is responsible for water use, says groundwater levels are at record lows in many parts of the region.

Levels are generally between 1m and 3m lower than at the same time last year, says Environment Canterbury hydro-geologist Russel Sanders. Much of Canterbury's plains and foothills had only half the usual winter rainfall.

"Even if we get good rain now it is unlikely that we will get any recharge response in the deeper aquifers before the irrigation season starts," Mr Sanders said.

"There is a time lag before rainfall influences these aquifers, particularly when the soils are as dry as they are at the moment. The soils have to get wet themselves before they will let water through to the underlying aquifers."

He said some people would probably not be able to pump the water they needed and others would run out of water.

Irrigation specialist Tony Davoren said some farmers were already irrigating their land. That had not occurred so early in the season for about 17 years.

Like many of their neighbours, the Willetts have had to tap into a deeper well for their water supply. With the driest months still to come, they don't know how long the new water supply will last.

"We are at 24m [depth] now. Yes, we have got a good supply of water again. But will it be next week or the week after? Do we have to bring the drilling rig in again?"

Mr Willetts blames "greedy dairy farmers" and "gross mismanagement" by Environment Canterbury.