Water Restrictions for All of New Plymouth District

ery low river flows after weeks of dry weather have prompted water restrictions across all of New Plymouth District.

There is a total ban on the use of sprinklers, irrigation systems and unattended hoses. Hand-held hoses may be used only on the odds and evens system: Odd-numbered houses on odd dates, and even-numbered houses on even dates.

Says Manager Water and Wastes Brent Manning: “There simply isn’t enough water in the rivers for us to meet the increasing demand.

“Even Oakura, which has an aquifer for water, is on restrictions because the increasing demand for water is likely to cause low pressure issues for customers towards the extremities of the reticulation and we need to manage this situation.

“We would need a decent period of heavy rain to lift the restrictions. The forecast is for a long, hot summer ahead of us so it’s likely these water conservation measures will be with us for some time, but if everyone does their bit towards conserving water we may get through the summer ahead without further restrictions.”

Water restrictions were put in place in Okato on 9 November because of low water flows in Mangatete Stream.

A series of water-saving tips is on website, in the Water section of A-Z of Council Services. Among them are:

Water the garden only on calm days, during the evening or early morning, to minimise evaporation.
Use a bucket and brush when you wash the car and the house windows, not a hose.
Cover your swimming pool – you’ll stop the water evaporating.
Keep a bottle of drinking water in the refrigerator so you don’t waste water running the tap to cool the water down.
Fix dripping taps. A steady drip of two drops a second wastes 100L a week.
Don’t leave water running while you clean vegetables. Put the plug in the sink.
Use full loads in your dishwasher and washing machine whenever possible, or use the half-load switch. You’ll save as much as 125L per full wash.
Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth or shaving.