Warm, Dry Weather Brings Water Restrictions

The continued dry weather has meant that stream flows in the city’s water supply catchments have fallen and demand has increased to the point that conservation measures are required. In addition, the forecast through to the end of March is for continued dry weather which means that the water supply catchments are expected to dry up further over the next two months.
Consequently, the DCC will introduce Level 2 Water Restrictions across the city from today, 30 January 2008, which will prohibit the use of sprinklers at all times and allow activities such as hose irrigation and car washing between the hours of 8.00 pm to 8.00 am only.

The car washing ban does not apply to metered customers.

In the Deep Stream catchment flows have fallen to the point where the flow in the Deep Stream pipeline is being reduced to maintain residual flows in the stream. The residual flows are set in the water take consents for environment protection reasons.

In the Waikouaiti River catchment, the river flow has fallen to the point that it is very close to the residual flow consent limit also.

In Mosgiel, the daily demand in recent times has reached 87% of the consent limit and so restraint is required here also.

Last week demand in Metropolitan Dunedin exceeded 52,000 m3/day and earlier this week after a brief respite demand was again trending toward 50,000 m3/day. This meant that of the city’s primary gravity water supplies, there was only a modest surplus of supply over demand on some days. So, unless demand is controlled, water will have to be pumped from the Taieri River to keep the city’s raw water reservoirs topped up.

Given that the river flows have dropped to the consent trigger points, demands are approaching available surface water yields and the weather forecast is for a continuation of the dry spell through to the end of March, restrictions are required to ensure that demand does not outstrip available supply.

These restrictions will apply across the whole of the city’s water distribution areas from Waikouaiti in the north, Port Chalmers and Portobello in the east, metropolitan Dunedin, and Mosgiel and Outram and West Taieri in the West and Brighton in the south.

Level 2 Water Restriction prohibit the use of sprinklers at any time and the use of hoses for irrigation and car washing during the day between 8:00 am and 8:00 pm.

Water Restrictions will be kept in place until there has been significant rain in the water supply catchment areas. In the event of the supply situation worsening, restrictions may be increased to ensure that supply meets demand, consent conditions are met and emergency storage is maintained in the city’s raw water reservoirs.

Consumers are also encouraged to consider the following tips for water conservation.

OUTDOORS


Water gardens during the coolest part of the day, usually the evening. This allows water to soak in and minimises evaporation losses. Avoid watering when it’s windy.

A well-mulched garden retains moisture and needs less frequent watering.

When planning a new garden or redeveloping an existing one, choose plants that are native to the area or are drought resistant. Native plants are accustomed to the natural amount of rainfall in the area in which they are found and so normally don’t require additional watering.

INDOORS



Check that the flushing valve on the toilet cistern is not leaking. This is easily done by putting some food colouring in your cistern. If any colour appears in the toilet bowl after 30 minutes, and before flushing, your toilet is leaking and you should get a plumber to fix it.
Check all taps for leaks and arrange for a plumber to fix them.

Run your dish and clothes washers only when you have a full load.

Don’t run water continuously when washing dishes, brushing your teeth, washing your hands and face, or shaving.

When buying a new dishwasher or washing machine, check the manufacturer’s specification for an eco option and select one that uses the least water.