Waitaki District Council water services and waste manager Martin Pacey told a council meeting in early November people were tampering with council water supplies and it was costing "quite a lot of money". In an emailed response to questions, Mr Pacey said water theft occurred at all council water supplies, however, in the past month several illegal connections were identified in the Enfield area of the Oamaru water supply. Mr Pacey said water theft had affected the operation of rural restricted water supplies for several years. He said water theft cost ratepayers. For the council’s restricted water supplies, water theft could cause a pressure drop in the network which could affect the supply of water to more elevated properties.

Source: Otago Daily Times November 18, 2016 17:15 UTC