Residents urged to conserve water as restrictions begin
28 November 2011
Water restrictions were today introduced for the Waipa District in an effort to ensure water supply balances demand over the summer period.
Water Services Manager Lorraine Kendrick said the district has been deemed to be at alert level one, meaning sprinklers should only be used between 6-8am and 6-8pm.
During summer the consumption of water rises which is usually associated with non-essential activities such as watering gardens. We need to undertake proactive management of this precious resource throughout the summer period so that we do not run out of water for our community, she said.
Waipa District Council needs resource consents from Waikato Regional Council to extract water from waterways for water supplies, and provide the capacity in the treatment plants to deliver water to the community.
As our community has grown over the years and water becomes a more scare resource we have to ensure that we use this resource more efficiently ensuring that we minimise wastage, said Mrs Kendrick
We have been monitoring the demand over a number of weeks and it has been increasing as the weather gets warmer, she said.
Historically water restrictions had come into force on November 1 but this year demand has been tracked to ensure alert levels are activated at the most appropriate time.
While three of the district's four water supply schemes were nearing the alert level two, when sprinklers would only be permitted between 6-8am and 6-8pm on alternate days, it was hoped once alert level one was introduced it would reduce current demand.
We are encouraging people to take responsibility for using water wisely, said Mrs Kendrick.
This year Waipa District Council had joined with Hamilton City Council and Waikato District Council in using the same promotional material for alert levels.
Changes in alert levels will be notified in local newspapers, on the council's website www.waipadc.govt.nz and on its Facebook page www.facebook.com/WaipaDistrictCouncil.
ENDS
For further information contact
Lisa Nairne
Senior Communications Advisor
Ph: 07 872 0062 or 027 532 1760
Email: lisa.nairne@waipadc.govt.nz
