Decreased consumption sees Hamiltons water alert level lowered

A decrease in the amount of water being consumed in Hamilton and wet weather forecasted for the coming week has seen the city's water alert level drop back to 'alert level one'.

Hamilton City Council Treatment Plants Manager Tim Harty said while the city's water consumption was peaking at over 75 million litres during the first week of February, a recent decrease has seen daily consumption sit under 58 million litres for the past week.

"From these results we are pleased to see that residents are clearly making changes to the way they view and use water," said Mr Harty.

"While we may not have needed to think about water in these terms before, it is important we realise it is a limited and precious resource and that we need to take appropriate steps to reduce our usage wherever possible."

The change to alert level one means alternate day sprinkler restrictions are no longer in place – instead water sprinklers are now permitted between 6am-8am and 6pm-8pm each day. There are no restrictions on commercial/non-residential properties at this stage.

"Even though water restrictions have now been reduced, I hope residents will continue to conserve water where possible to ensure a consistent supply throughout the remainder of summer and avoid the need to return to a higher alert level in the coming months," said Mr Harty.

Hamilton's water alert levels came into effect on 1 December 2008, as part of 'Smart Water Use' – a regional collaborative effort between Hamilton City Council, Environment Waikato and other territorial authorities throughout the greater Waikato. The initiative aims to encourage residents to regard water as a 'limited and precious resource' and promote proactive water conservation.

More information on Smart Water Use, including the city's water consumption and alert levels, is available on www.hamilton.co.nz/smartwateruse