Water restrictions unlikely for Auckland

Councils across the country are imposing water restrictions as dry weather begins to bite, but Auckland is unlikely to have to follow suit, despite a continuing spell of sweltering summer days.

Watercare’s Acting Chief Operations Officer, Shayne Cunis, says that while levels in the city’s supply lakes are below the average for this time of year, Watercare’s system has sufficient flexibility to ensure ongoing security of supply to all areas serviced by the metropolitan network, which stretches from Orewa to Pukekohe.

Mr Cunis says Aucklanders deserve a large share of the credit for the lack of water restrictions, with the city’s inhabitants using less water per head than anyone else in the country.

“However, with little if any relief expected from the current dry weather conditions, it’s important people continue to think about how they are using water, and whether they could do so more efficiently.”

Thirty years ago, Aucklanders used more than 400 litres of water per person per day. By 2004, this had reduced to 298 Litres per person per day. In 2011, Watercare set itself the challenge of further reducing consumption to 253 litres per person per day by 2025.

“Currently, we are five litres per day ahead of the target line, and Auckland’s per capita water use is the lowest in New Zealand, says Mr Cunis.

“And Watercare is keen to do whatever we can to maintain that rate of improvement.

“To that end, we run a proactive maintenance campaign that minimises the amount of water lost in our networks, we work closely with large commercial users to ensure they are operating as efficiently as possible, and we encourage householders to Be Waterwise.”

Mr Cunis says Watercare’s metropolitan network draws water from dams in the Waitakere and Hunua ranges, an underground aquifer, and the Waikato River.

“We constantly alter the amount we take from each source to ensure we strike the right balance between minimising operating costs and ensuring security of supply,” says Mr Cunis.

In an average year, Watercare’s four big dams in the Hunua Ranges provide about two-thirds of Auckland’s metropolitan supply, with just under one-quarter coming from the Waitakere dams, and the balance from the Waikato River.

Mr Cunis says with Auckland’s population forecast to rise by as many as one million over the next 35 years, the Waikato River is likely to play an increasing role in meeting the city’s need for water.

“At times during the 2013 drought, the Waikato was supplying almost 30 percent of Auckland’s water; even at that level, Watercare was drawing less than one percent of the water flowing past the treatment plant’s intake,” says Mr Cunis.

Watercare has applied for consent to take an additional 200,000 cubic metres of water per day from the Waikato River. Mr Cunis says the application follows an exhaustive review of all other future supply options, including new dams in the Riverhead Forest and at Lower Mangatawhiri (neither of which is sufficient, either alone or in combination, to meet the predicted demand, and both of which would entail significant environmental impacts) and a desalination plant (which was ruled out on cost and environmental considerations).

Mr Cunis says independent experts have assessed the proposed increase will have no significant effect on wildlife or river users.

“We have started consultation with key stakeholders and are committed to maintaining open dialogue with the community throughout the consenting process.”

Being Waterwise

Aucklanders use less water per head than anyone else in the country. Here are some tips to help you reduce water consumption. For more information, visit the Be Waterwise page on the Watercare website, www.watercare.co.nz

• Turn off the tap as you brush your teeth

• Wait until there is a full load before turning on the dishwasher or washing machine

• Fix leaks. A dripping tap can lose 1,000 litres per day. A leaking pipe could be a drain on your finances, as well as a waste of water

• Take shorter showers

• Turn food scraps into compost, rather than flushing them down the waste disposal

• Shopping for a new appliance or plumbing fixture? The Ministry for the Environment’s Water Efficiency Labelling Scheme tells you how various washing machines, dishwashers, toilets and urinals, showers, and taps measure up

• Let the lawn grow a little – it strengthens the root system and reduces the need for water. Seven or eight centimetres is a good height

• Get rid of weeds – they suck up moisture that could be maintaining your plants – and cover soil around plants with mulch, straw or grass to retain moisture

• Water your garden in the early morning or evening to minimise evaporation. – For maximum efficiency, install trickle irrigation – otherwise, use the hose, rather than a sprinkler

• Washing your car, boat or dog? Use a bucket – and do it on the lawn, rather than on the driveway

ENDS

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