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Do Your Bit to Conserve Water as Hawke's Bay Summer Kicks In

Monday 13 December 2010, 3:00PM

By Hastings District Council

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HASTINGS

As the region continues to dry out and Hawke’s Bay’s waterways come under increasing pressure, the Hastings District Council is calling upon residents to think twice about how they use water when they turn the tap on.

Between October and November this year the water usage in urban areas of the District has seen a sustained increase mostly due to the irrigation of lawns and gardens.

The Hastings water supply, which includes Havelock North and Flaxmere, increases from an average daily consumption of 27 million-litres-a-day to almost 50 million-litres-a-day during hot, sunny weather.

These increases put added stress on the water supply system to maintain sufficient flow and pressure but, importantly, our ability to take larger volumes of water from the underground aquifer is limited by consent.

Water Services Manager Brett Chapman says we all need to make small changes in our behaviour, particularly in the garden, to reduce our overall water usage.

“If residents are able to reduce their irrigation needs by adopting some simple conservation measures, then we can play our part in minimising the district’s demand for this precious commodity.

“By promoting the water conservation message early we can improve community awareness and avoid the possibility of having to take more stringent measures if we are at risk of breaching our resource consent,” Mr Chapman says.

There are some really easy ways to become efficient users of water. Here are some simple tips for saving water:

Outside:

·         Do not water your lawn. Browning off your lawn will not kill it. It will grow back and they need less mowing.

·         Maintaining a longer grass length increases moisture retention and reduces weed growth.

·         When washing your vehicle, if possible, do it over your lawn so your lawn gets watered too. Wash down with a brush and bucket first, then do a quick hose down. And, remember don’t leave the hose running - that can waste a bath tub of water every five minutes.

·         Targeted watering: water by hand using your hose rather than sprinklers, as sprinklers often get forgotten. If you are using a sprinkler turn the flow right down and move every ten minutes. If your budget allows consider a timer or use the timer on your stove to remind you to shift it or turn it off.

·         Avoid irrigating during the heat of the day. Your garden benefits more from light watering in the early morning or late evening than over-watering during the heat of the day. The use of timers is recommended so you can automate the timing and duration of your watering with ease.

Inside:

·         Consider reducing shower times to 3-5 minutes. This can save upwards of 10L.

·         Don’t run the tap continuously when shaving or brushing your teeth. This could save another 10L a minute.

·         Only run your dishwasher or washing machine when it's full – this can save 125L for each wash not required.

·         Don't leave the water running when rinsing dishes or washing vegetables. Rinsing in a sink or bowl can save 10L every minute.

·         Try keeping a container of drinking water in the refrigerator so you don't waste water running the tap waiting for it to cool down.

·         Every drop counts – fixing that dripping tap could save up to 90L a day.

Last month Council erected the “grapefruit” water conservation signs (below) for the summer in communities around the District to remind residents about water efficiency.

Most areas in Hastings District are only in the “Conservation” mode at the moment, which asks people to implement some of the measures above to avoid stricter measures.