Hamilton City Council and Waipā District Council will move to Water Alert Level 1 from today.
Hamilton City Council’s Three Waters – Unit Director, Maire Porter said the hot summer weather combined with residents returning home from holiday and using more water had led to Hamilton’s increase.
“With the hot weather we’ve had recently, water use across the city has been high. It’s really important we all play our part and use water sensibly,” said Ms Porter.
“We have made some significant investments in our water treatment plants and are managing our supply well, but we still have an obligation to make sure our communities are playing their part too.“All you need to do is look at how dry the city is looking to see why we need to be careful about how much water we are using and ensure we are not wasting it.”
Hamilton’s water restrictions apply to the city and outer areas including Tauwhare, Gordonton, Matangi, Tamahere, Newstead/Eureka, Wallace Road, and Stonebridge Estate.
Waipā District Council’s water services manager, Karl Pavlovich said the forecasted dry conditions and the increase in water demand required the decision to introduce restrictions.
“The measures required at levels one and two are not asking much more of people than to be sensible – the kinds of measures we should all be taking, all year round, to help conserve this precious resource,” he said.
Water restrictions in Waipā apply to the entire district including Te Awamutu, Cambridge, Kihikihi and Ōhaupō.
The decision to implement water restrictions considers a range of factors including weather forecasts, Lake Taupō levels, how much water is being used, historical water use patterns and how well the water treatment plants and networks can keep up with demand.
If water use continues to increase Waipā District and Hamilton City Councils say they may consider the need to put further restrictions in place.
Water Alert Level 1:
Use sprinkler systems between 6am – 8am and 6pm – 8pm.
Hand-held hosing can be used anytime.
