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Go Easy On Water Use This Summer


Go Easy On Water Use This Summer

To avoid water restrictions, Christchurch residents are being urged to use their water carefully by Canterbury local authorities.

Based on groundwater and stream levels expected by Environment Canterbury (ECan), the Christchurch City Council is asking Canterbury residents not to waste water during the coming months.

City Council City Water and Waste Operations Manager Mike Bourke, says that total rainfall this year has been about two-thirds of the average rainfall for Christchurch.

David Scott a Groundwater Hydrologist with ECan said some monitored wells are the lowest they have been in 20 years. The situation has improved with some late winter recharge of the aquifers, but many wells are still lower than expected for this time in summer.

"Some of these wells don't usually become this low until later in the summer," Mr Scott says.

The City Council system is expected to meet demand even on peak days without restrictions being imposed, but it will be important not to waste any water.

Any savings in water also helps minimum river flows because lowering ground water affects the pressure and flow in the springs that feed the Avon, Heathcote, Halswell and Styx Rivers.

Both councils recommend that residents water their gardens and lawns little and often during hot weather, rather than giving them a soaking which can result in a lot of the applied water running off down the drive and into the gutter. Watering in the cool of the evening is also more effective than watering during the hot north-west wind.


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