Water Alert Levels to be lifted tomorrow
28 April 2014
Water Alert Levels in Hamilton City, Waikato District and Waipa District will be lifted tomorrow following the recent rain and a sustained lower level in water use across the district.
Hamilton city and Waikato district councils have been at water Alert Level 2, which restricts the use of sprinklers on alternate days between 6am and 8am and 6pm and 8pm. Most of Waipa district has also been at water Alert Level 2 except Te Awamutu and Pirongia which recently moved to Alert Level 3 where no external use of sprinklers was allowed, due to supply issues.
It has been five months since Waikato District, Waipa District and Hamilton City Councils first moved to Water Alert Level 1 on 20 November 2013.
The region's water use peaked in Hamilton where, 79 million litres (ML) of water was used on 2 February. Waipa's highest water use was seen on 16 December at 32 ML.
In recent weeks, the average water use across the region has dropped and remained steady at a sustainable level.
Waikato District Service Delivery Manager Tim Harty has praise for the communities Smart Water practices over this dry summer.
A big thanks must go to the region's residents and commercial and large water users for sticking to the Alert Level requirements over another exceptionally dry summer. We have been delighted with how responsible and responsive water users have been in taking the Smart Water message on board and observing water Alert requirements through the Alert level system.
The recent rain has also meant that Hamilton City Council contingency plans for the low Lake Taupo and Waikato River levels have been put on hold.
The rain we saw over Easter has meant that Lake Taupo is now at a level where it is unlikely to have an impact on our water supply. This means that at this stage, there is no need to install the additional pumping equipment on the river says City Waters Manager Andrew Parsons.
We will continue to monitor Lake Taupo and Waikato River levels over the next few weeks just to make sure that the situation continues to improve.
Smart Water Coordinator Charmaine Petereit is also pleased with how the Summer Water Campaign went and is now looking to the future of the Smart Water Programme.
Looking ahead it's important we all understand that while the general perception is that we have plentiful water supplies on our doorsteps, they do have their limits. We all have a part to play in conserving water throughout the year to help manage the water demands of our growing region.
The Water Alert Levels are part of a Smart Water Starts with You! Sub-regional Summer campaign. The 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.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Charmaine Petereit
Smart Water Co-ordinator
Mobile: 021 919 032
Email: charmaine.petereit@hcc.govt.nz
