Water Restrictions Remain In Place

Residents on the Lake Hayes Water Scheme are being credited for conserving water over the last few weeks but reminded that water restrictions are still in place.

Queenstown Lakes District Council’s 3 Waters manager Gerry Essenberg said many residents had taken water conservation on board, however water usage was increasing noticeably in the evenings - despite a restriction on irrigation between midday and midnight.

“There is still a possibility that we may be able to avoid the introduction of full water restrictions but that will only happen if residents follow the restrictions in place now,” Mr Essenberg said.

Mr Essenberg said while the supply was being pushed to its full extent, there was enough water if conservation continued.

“The community is doing a great job but we need the whole community to contribute and keep to fair water use and the restrictions we have introduced,” he said.

“We will continue to identify any high users that we can but we are really reliant on the community to educate others. Despite a pretty big campaign it’s possible some people didn’t get the message yet,” he said.

Anyone unsure as to whether they were on the scheme could call the Council to confirm. The scheme services the Lake Hayes Estate and wider Lake Hayes area.

“At this point if the scheme comes under any further pressure the community as a whole will end up facing tighter restrictions. We’d love to avoid that and I’m sure the community would too.”

The current restrictions are:

• Hand held watering only from 6am to midday
• No irrigation from midday to midnight
• Irrigation using irrigation timers for a maximum of half an hour total per connection between midnight and 6am

Activities such as washing vehicles and filling small swimming pools can take place between 6am and midday using hand held hoses only.

The Lake Hayes Water Scheme is being assessed on a daily basis.