Sprinkler ban lifted

4 February 2011

Recent rainfall, projected coming rain and successful community efforts to conserve water have allowed Waipa District Council to reallow the use of garden sprinklers on alternate dates.

From Tuesday, February 8, Waipa District Council will downgrade its water alert system back to water alert level one. This lifts the total sprinkler ban which has been in place since December and instead only restricts the use of sprinklers to alternate dates between 6pm and 8am.

People living at addresses with an odd street number can use sprinklers on dates ending in an odd number, and people living at addresses with an even street number can use sprinklers on dates ending in an even number.

Water services manager Bob Shaw said the community had strongly supported the sprinkler ban, significantly reducing demand on the district's water supply.

"We'd like to thank everyone for their co-operation. After the sprinkler ban was announced, we saw daily water use drop back to pre-summer levels, which meant we were able to get through a very dry spell without running out of water," Mr Shaw said.

He added that water conservation was not just a summer issue, and water should be used carefully regardless of the season.

The Council will continue to monitor weather conditions and daily water use figures over the remaining summer months. The water alert level 1 restriction will remain in place in until further notice.

For more information, please contact:

Jacqui Humm. Ph: 07 872 0062 or 027 532 1760.

Email: jacqui.humm@waipadc.govt.nz