Level Four water restrictions are now in place for Levin

Horowhenua District Council has announced Level Four water restrictions for residents connected to town water supplies in Levin and Ohau, effective from 1 January 2018.

Water Services Engineer Levaai Toremana said Council is required to implement Level Four water restrictions when flows in the Ohau River drop below 820 litres per second (l/s) under the conditions of the Ohau Take Consent granted by Horizons Regional Council.

“The weather has been hot and dry since mid-October, and river flows are now critically low. We got some rain on Boxing Day, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough to make a sustained difference,” she said.

Ms Toremana said that when flows in the Ohau River drop below the 820 l/s threshold, Council has to reduce the water take from 15,000 cubic metres to 13,000 cubic metres per day as a condition of its resource consent.

“We strongly urge everyone to conserve water and to use this opportunity to consider water storage options they can use now and in the future.”

Ms Toremana said there’s a lot people can do at home to use water wisely. People can collect clean waste water from the shower, bath or rinsing dishes to water their garden, and collect water in buckets or a storage tank when it does rain.

In addition, people should turn off taps while brushing teeth or shaving, check for leaks in pipes and cisterns, take shorter showers, do only full loads in the dishwasher and washing machine, use a plug in the sink when washing vegetables or dishes, and install a dual-flush toilet, she said.

Level Four water restrictions mean:

• Sprinklers, soak hoses and handheld hoses must not be used to water private gardens at any time. Flower and vegetable gardens may be watered using watering cans and buckets filled from a tap on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 7pm and 9pm only.
• Portable swimming pools must not be filled. Newly-constructed swimming pools and spas must not be filled and existing swimming pools and spas must not be topped up.
• Fountains must not operate.
• Water must not be used to clean windows, paved areas or vehicles (cars, motorbikes, trucks, boats, jet skis, bicycles) except where cleaning is required as a result of an accident, fire, health hazard or other emergency. Where required, cleaning must be undertaken using a watering can or bucket filled directly from a tap.
• Public parks, gardens and reserves may be watered using bore water only.
• Commercial market gardeners and plant nurseries must not use sprinklers without the written permission of the Council’s Water and Waste Services Manager. Handheld hoses, watering cans or buckets may be used at any time.
• Regular users of more than five cubic metres of water per day in the construction industry must contact Council’s Water and Waste Services Manager as soon as possible for permission to maintain water consumption and discuss options for reducing water use.
Residents can obtain further information on the Water Services page of the Council’s website, www.horowhenua.govt.nz, or by contacting Horowhenua District Council on (06) 366 0999 or enquiries@horowhenua.govt.nz.

ENDS

© Scoop Media