Waipā District Council water services manager Martin Mould hopes the small adjustment to Level 2 will be easy as residents are doing well in saving water so far. Photo / Supplied
Waipā District Council water services manager Martin Mould hopes the small adjustment to Level 2 will be easy as residents are doing well in saving water so far. Photo / Supplied
A call to save water over the Auckland Anniversary weekend hasn't held off the move to Water Alert Level 2 for Hamilton city and parts of Waipā district.
Residents in Hamilton, Te Awamutu, Pirongia and Ōhaupō move to Water Alert Level 2 from Thursday, February 4.
Hamilton's water consumption in recent days has increased significantly, with Hamilton reaching almost 80 million litres on Monday.
Hamilton's City waters manager Maire Porter said: "If this level of demand continues, a move to Water Alert level 3 may be needed, which will mean no sprinklers are to be used at all."
"With the dry hot weather expected to continue we need to ensure we are using water sustainably, particularly when it comes to outdoor water use.
"We know on some days up to half of the city's water usage is outside on lawns, gardens, pools and for washing vehicles and boats," she says.
Waters operation manager Adam Donaldson at the intake pump for Hamilton's water treatment plant. Photo / File
Households in Waikato District areas that receive their water supply from Hamilton are also moving to Level 2. These are Tauwhare, Gordonton, Matangi, Tamahere, Newstead/Eureka, Wallace Rd and Stonebridge Estate.
Cambridge, Kihikihi, and the remaining areas of Waikato District remain on Water Alert Level 1.
Water Alert Level 2 (which is the same as Level 3 in Thames-Coromandel) allows the use of sprinklers between 6 and 8 in the morning or evening on alternate days.
This means houses with even street numbers can use sprinklers on even days and odd-numbered houses are able to use sprinklers on odd days. Hand-held hosing is still allowed at any time.
Waipā District Council's water services manager Martin Mould said the move for Waipā will help to prolong the water supply in towns where water sources are more affected by changing weather conditions.
"Last summer's drought is still firmly in our minds as we make this move, we want to prolong our supply as long as possible.
"Our residents are already making good strides in reducing their water use this summer, so we hope the small adjustment will be easy to do.
"Now is also a good time to address any leaks, turn off taps, and make other small changes to be mindful about how you use your water," he says.
Thames-Coromandel District has been the first area to announce water use restrictions after Whitianga recorded its warmest January temperature on record on January 6 with 31.8 degrees, the warmest temperature since the beginning of the recordings in 1962.
So far, TCDC is happy with how residents have helped saving water and announced another first: For the first time since the start of the records of peak period restrictions in 2017, the council didn't need to go to Water Alert Level 5 (total watering ban) anywhere in the district.
As school has started again, the visitor numbers in Thames-Coromandel have decreased, and so has the demand for water.
However, council's water supplies are still under pressure due to the lack of rain. The council says that if the demand increases significantly for an extended period, or the water sources fall to an unacceptable level, it may be necessary to reimpose higher level conservation measures.
