On the west side of the swimming and recreation centre at Jellie Park sits a deep water bore that brings artesian water up to surface from the On the west side of the swimming and recreation centre at Jellie Park sits a deep water bore that brings artesian water up to surface from the Canterbury Plains.
What comes up is ‘ground water’ from rain and rivers which has seeped through many layers of soil and stones. If the bore is done the right way and protected, the water is the purest white gold around!
Over the years, the average volume of underground water for Christchurch has dropped. The two streams that flow through Jellie Park – the Wairarapa and Hewlings – can, during the summer, drop so low that the Hewlings in particular can disappear.
The Jellie Park Lake that was built in 1957 was another victim of this. By 2000, the water that was in the lake was such low quality – due the lack of fresh water – that a revamp was planned.
Completed in 2005, the artesian water used by the heat pump taken from a bore west of the swimming pools is re-directed down a purposely built cascade (pictured) into the lake once the heat from the water is extracted. With this new water flowing through the lake and into the streams, the health of the area has improved tenfold. Even the soil of the stream banks have improved!
*photo taken by Annette Bulovic*.
