1cm of water is all it takes

At this time of year, water use in the Taupo district is at its highest which puts extraordinary demand on the region’s water treatment and supply equipment. As a result, Taupo District Council is encouraging residents to use less water and to make sure they don’t waste it.

 

Gardens and lawns don’t need a lot of water to survive summer heat. To ensure you’re not over-watering, place a bucket in the watering zone – once it has 1cm of water in the bottom, it’s time to turn the tap off. The time this takes will vary depending on the size of the area you are watering and the water pressure.

 

Your garden only needs that amount of water twice a week but it can be easy to leave the water running longer than necessary. Either buy a basic tap-timer which will shut the water off automatically, or set the oven timer to remind you to turn the tap off.

 

Taupo’s water-saving initiative has the support of a region-wide WaterSmart campaign in which councils throughout Waikato have joined together to remind the public that water is precious. Residents are also reminded that the process of treating water and distributing water is costly. Continual increases in demand for water may result in the need for expensive upgrades to the district’s water supply system.

 

To further encourage sensible water use, Taupo residents are eligible for discounts on a range of great outdoor water-saving products. The current issue of Envirocare (Environment Waikato’s regional newsletter), which was distributed to Taupo households in early February, includes a voucher entitling residents to a 20 percent discount on five Nylex water-saving products.

 

Some other smart water use tips include watering gardens only in the early morning or evening, mulching around plants, fixing leaks and installing low flow devices on taps and showers, turning off the tap when brushing teeth or shaving, washing cars and boats with a bucket and sponge not the hose and keeping daily showers to four minutes.