Water restrictions in place despite rain

Water Alert level one is in place for Hamilton. Photo / Supplied

Despite flash flooding and heavy rainfall, Hamilton, Te Awamutu, Pirongia and Waikato district moved to water alert level one at the start of the month.

Water Alert Level one means using a sprinkler between 6am to 8am and 6pm to 8pm or hand-held hosing at any time.

Hamilton City Council's City Waters Manager Maire Porter said over the past month we have seen a significant increase in water demand.

"Despite the recent rain, historical trends indicate that with improving weather, water use will continue to increase throughout December."

Waikato District Council Waters Manager Karl Pavlovich says warmer weather always leads to an increase in water consumption.

"Everyone has been doing well so far and as we move towards summer Level 1 is a reminder to keep on top of our water usage," Mr Pavlovich said.

"It has generally been a damp year so far, but the community can play their part by using water wisely ahead of what could be a long, dry summer.

"There are lots of ways to conserve water, taking shorter showers, watering the garden by hand, or washing your car on a piece of lawn which needs watering can save hundreds of litres a day," said Mr Pavlovich.

Waipa District Council Water Services Manager Tony Hale said demand has "crept up" during November across the district, but low-levels in the stream that supplies Te Awamutu and Pirongia means water conservation measures are necessary in the towns.

"Te Awamutu and Pirongia's water comes from the Mangauika Stream. In the summer months, the stream struggles to keep up with demand. Despite rainfall in town in the past week, we haven't seen enough rain near the stream's catchment and it's already looking low for this time of year."

"While the rest of the Waipā district are not on water alerts yet, we're in for a long, hot summer and we all need to consider how much water we are using."

Smart Water has an e-newsletter to let you know when your alert level changes. Sign up to receive it at smartwater.org.nz/subscribe. A list of frequently asked questions is also available at smartwater.org.nz/faqs.

The Smart Water Starts With You! sub-regional summer campaign aims to make long-term change to how we use water and is a joint venture between Hamilton City Council, Waikato District Council and Waipa District Council.