Suspected lightning strikes struck two different water supplies during the wild weather on Thursday.
Both Methven’s water supply plant and Greater Greymouth’s water treatment plant were shut down on Thursday.
The Ashburton District Council is monitoring the Methven drinking water treatment plant after the suspected lightning strike.
Council chief executive Hamish Riach said contractors restored the essential wiring by late Thursday afternoon, and monitored the plant until after midnight as it resumed normal operations.
Contractors were back on site on Friday to replace more electrical components, he said.
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The shutdown forced the council to issue a conserve water notice to people on the Methven and Methven-Springfield supplies, with a water tanker sent to Methven as a precaution.
“We thank the people of Methven who responded to our call yesterday to use water conservatively while the plant was brought back to life and everyone can use water as they normally would,” Riach said
The plant’s two 560 cubic metre reservoirs refilled overnight, and the tanker has been recalled.
Grey District Council also said a lightning strike took their water plant offline on Thursday.
Contractors and staff worked through the night to flush hydrants and remove air from the lines, the council said on a social media post.
Greymouth residents were asked to conserve their water as reservoirs slowly began to refill.
Ashburton council staff were out on Friday checking parks and open spaces for damage after the severe winds, he said.
A tree in the Ashburton Domain on Walnut Ave split down its trunk and will be removed, while a contractor was sent to Methven to clean up broken branches and deal with tree damage.
Riach said staff would be looking for broken and dangling branches, or trees leaning noticeably or uprooted, or with cracks.
“There are a few older trees on a watch list that staff regularly assess after any wind event and we will be looking at them in the next few days, as there could new wind damage.
“When staff assess trees for damage, they are also looking at younger trees because some damage is not immediately visible.
“We were fortunate that we took down the second gum tree near Woolworths on Wednesday and that removed the risk of that particular tree falling and causing issues on the state highway.”
Selwyn District Council had no major incidents to report.
On Thursday night, both councils issued a voluntary evacuation advisory for the North and South Rakaia Huts as the Rakaia River threatened to burst its banks at the rivermouth.
However, Civil Defence was not required to assist anyone wanting to leave.
The river did not breach and the advisory was lifted on Friday morning as river levels began dropping.
“The South Rakaia Huts community has been working with council over the past couple of years on an emergency plan and it was good to see residents taking steps to activate that.
“They knew how to keep themselves safe,” Riach said.
The district’s roading network is functioning as normal, with no damage reported.
Police were issuing a reminder they will be out in force on the roads over the long weekend.
Meanwhile, a total fire ban in Canterbury has been extended to Monday.
Canterbury District Commander Tony Hill said he was disappointed with fires being lit despite a total fire ban in the region.
He said police will be investigating any suspicious fires and may prosecute those responsible, with investigations underway of reported fires.
“Arrests are likely,” he said.
The fire ban also includes fireworks.
Police asked people to avoid lighting any fires or using gas cookers outside.
The fire ban is in place to reduce the risk of wildfires, which can be fanned further and bigger with significant windy conditions forecasted for several days.
