A newspaper article written in 1881 formed part of our background reading for a Council meeting item recently on the future of the Pudding Hill stockwater intake.

The story told how County Councillors of the day travelled three hours by train and then in horse drawn carts to the Pudding Hill stream, where a dam had been built across the river to supply a new network of races that would take vital water down the plains.

Officially opening the supply, County Council chairman W. C. Walker said it was important work and one which would confer a benefit on the land through which the water intended to flow.

Some 141 years on this intake is still running.

But to meet present-day regulations, this water take from the Ashburton River system has to be fish screened, at a cost of between $300,000 and $600,000. This cost would have to be paid by the 181 ratepayers whose property the race system runs through.

This might not be much of a cost to some. But let us remember that the majority of the area serviced by this intake now has alternative water, and those properties without alternatives could very easily be supplied with some minor alterations to present systems.

Over the years, why have people that can, moved away from the system opened in 1881 with much fanfare? The main reason is people want to drink and wash themselves in the cleanest and healthiest water possible.

As a young person I drank water sourced from the house roof. Every so often my father would climb into the drinking water tank to clean out the bird dirt that had been washed in during heavy rains and when it did not rain for a while the water race water was pumped in and allowed to settle for a day or so before we started drinking again.

At bath time one would know exactly what color the water race was.

My father went to great expense to connect all the shed roofs into a large concrete underground tank that allowed the family to drink and wash in much cleaner water - yes, the bird dirt was cleaned manually from the tank when it was low enough.

I can clearly remember with great celebration in the early 1980s when a new council piped scheme arrived on our property and finally we had clean, healthy water.

What I find very interesting today is the cleanliness of the water required for stock to drink and to wash dairy sheds and vegetables before they go off the market. People also rightly demand the best water quality.

For many years people in Ashburton have wanted more water in the river and for many years I have argued that water-takes like Pudding Hill should be closed. It is well recognised that less than 10% of the water taken is used for its intended purpose.

Maybe the cost of installing a fish screen will ultimately relegate the old intake to history and some people will end up with cleaner water as a result.