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TUESDAY, JUNE 28, 1977
BUT AT THAT TIME IT HAD BEEN HOPED THAT GOOD JUNE RAINFALLS WOULD BRING ABOUT A MARKED INCREASE IN TOTAL RESERVOIR STORAGE AS WAS USUAL WITH THE ONSET OF THE WET SEASON.
+HOWEVER, SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE MONTH, MR. TUCKER SAID, THERE HAVE BEEN ONLY 234 MM OF RAINFALL REGISTERED AT THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY, COMPARED WITH A LONG-TERM AVERAGE OF 401 MM. +
AND THE ACTUAL YIELD TO RESERVOIRS DURING THE PERIOD WAS ONLY 2,024 MILLION GALLONS.
THE EFFECT OF THIS VERY LOW YIELD HAD BEEN THAT AT A TIME WHEN STORAGE SHOULD HAVE BEEN INCREASING SHARPLY IT HAD IN FACT FALLEN.
SINCE RESTRICTIONS HAD BEEN INTRODUCED ON JUNE 1, TOTAL STORAGE HAD FALLEN FROM 31,488 MILLION GALLONS TO TODAY'S 30,034 MILLION GALLONS.
TODAY'S RESERVOIR STORAGE REPRESENTING 44.6 PER CENT OF CAPACITY WAS THE LOWEST EXPERIENCED AT THIS TIME OF YEAR FOR FIVE YEARS.
AT THE SAME TIME LAST YEAR, THE STORAGE WAS 52,698 MILLION GALLONS OR 78.3 PER CENT OF CAPACITY.
MR. TUCKER SAID: IT HAS BEEN NECESSARY, THEREFORE, TO REASSESS THE SITUATION IN THE LIGHT OF PRESENT STORAGE AND ANTICIPATED DEMANDS -- · NOT ONLY DEMANDS IN THE REMAINDER OF THE SUMMER, BUT ALSO IN THE DRY WINTER MONTHS AHEAD,
HE POINTED OUT THAT THE RAINFALL SINCE OCTOBER LAST YEAR HAD BEEN SOME 480 MM BELOW AVERAGE AND THIS, COUPLED WITH THE DEMAND FOR WATER, HAD GIVEN RISE TO THE PRESENT, UNFAVOURABLE STORAGE POSITION.
+TOGETHER, THESE HAVE ERODED OUR RESERVES TO AN EXTENT WHERE THE CONTINUATION OF A 16 HOURS A DAY SUPPLY CAN NO LONGER BE JUSTIFIED IF THE RISK OF IMPOSING SEVERE RESTRICTIONS IN THE COMING WINTER IS TO BE AVOIDED, HE SAID.
MR. TUCKER SAID THAT IT WAS HOPED THAT THE NEW CUTS TO BE IMPOSED NEXT WEEK WOULD REDUCE CONSUMPTION BY A FURTHER 10 PER CENT, AND SAID THAT TO DO THIS THE CO-OPERATION OF THE PUBLIC WOULD BE VITAL.
+TO THIS END THE CAMPAIGN ON SAVING WATER HAS BEEN STEPPED UP, HE SAID.
THE WATER SUPPLIES DEPARTMENT HAD ALREADY WITHDRAWN PERMISSION FOR MAINS SUPPLIES TO PRIVATE GARDENS, DISPLAY FOUNTAINS AND PRIVATE SWIMMING POOLS.
/WELL,