Lake Hayes scheme restriction eased

Responsible water use by residents connected to the Lake Hayes Scheme water supply means restrictions can ease from today, Queenstown Lakes District Council 3 waters operations engineer Martin Ellis said.

A call to conserve water was made at the start of February when the scheme’s reservoir was reaching low levels.

“Through the contribution made by the community and some direct work with higher water users, we were able to avoid a total irrigation ban and are now in a position to relax restrictions,” Mr Ellis said.

Council staff would continue to work with high users, the majority of whom were now metered to assist them with understanding their level of use.

A restrictor, currently being trialled by Queenstown Lakes District Councillor John Mann at his Lake Hayes property, was also a potential option in the future for high-end users. The device did not ‘cut’ water it reduced flow.

“We want to trial the mechanism through a winter before we recommend this course of action. We are very grateful to Cr Mann for the opportunity,’ Mr Ellis said.

Ongoing considerate water use did not just apply to Lake Hayes but all parts of the district.
“As a district we have to get smarter about water use,” he said.

The water that was used to clean cars, water gardens and wash clothes was all treated to drinking water standard and that came at a cost.

“We cannot afford to waste water,” Mr Ellis said.

The council recommended that irrigation or watering continued to be undertaken in the evening and early morning to optimise the effect.

“There are any number of ways households can get smart about water use.”

Tips on water conservation were available on the Council’s website www.qldc.govt.nz