Published 27/09/2024
Level 1 Water Restrictions beginning this weekend
Wellington City, Hutt City, and Porirua City will enter Water Restrictions Level 1 at 12:01am on Sunday 29 September. These cities will join Upper Hutt City and the South Wairarapa District who maintain Water Restrictions Level 1 all year round.
At Water Restrictions Level 1 the public are asked to only use sprinklers every second day, split between even and odd street numbers. Even numbered houses can use their sprinklers on even numbered days, and odd numbered houses on odd numbered days. You can water your garden by hand at any time on any day, as long as it’s not left unattended.
“Water restrictions begin every year at the start of Daylight Savings when warmer weather tends to lead to increased water use,” says Wellington Water’s Director of Regulatory Services Charles Barker. “Increased water use puts pressure on the region’s water supply, which has a daily limit as we can only treat and supply a certain amount of water per day.
“As we have in previous years, Wellington Water will be closely monitoring the situation and potential for tighter water restrictions this summer.”
To significantly reduce the risk of an acute water shortage or Level 4 Water Restrictions during an average summer, Taumata Arowai, councils and Wellington Water have agreed to a goal of reducing overall water demand (this includes water loss and water use) by 7.4 million litres per day by February 2025.
“Thanks to the increased investment from our council owners to find and fix more leaks we are making good progress on reducing the backlog of leaks on the public network. We are also undertaking other various water loss reduction activities such as leak repairs, pressure management and pipe renewals. All of which will help us to meet the 7.4 million litres per day goal,” adds Charles.
“We are currently on track to meet this goal. However, it’s important that we all understand that the region still faces a risk of entering Water Restriction Level 3 this summer.
“The likelihood of Level 3 is still to be determined and will be dependent on a range of factors, including the weather. We are currently waiting on NIWA’s updated outlook which is due out in October. Once we have this, we will run our model on the risk of restrictions and provide that to our councils, regulators and the public as we did last year.”
The risk of Level 3 Water Restrictions means that Wellington Water and councils will continue to need the public’s help again this year to get through summer when it comes to watching their water use.
At Level 1 Water Restrictions, we are asking people to start being mindful of their water use. Residents are encouraged to check their sprinkler settings:
- Deep soakings once or twice a week encourage feeder roots to grow and help plants survive short term drought conditions.
- Use drippers or directional sprinkler heads. These make sure water is going where it's needed, not wasted on paths or fences.
Not everyone has a sprinkler, but everyone needs to keep an eye on their wai to ensure there’s enough to go around. There are small, simple steps everyone can choose from to make sure they’re using water sensibly.
If you’re a keen gardener, add mulch to your garden to stop wind and sun drying out the soil.
In the kitchen, save time and water by scraping food off plates into the bin rather than pre-rinsing, and popping your recycling in your dishwasher rather than rinsing under the tap.
Turn off the tap when you’re brushing your teeth, and when you’re in the shower, remember that every minute can use up to 18 litres of water. The shorter the better but hopping out even a couple of minutes sooner can make a difference.
And if you’re in the market for a new washing machine, dishwasher, taps, shower head, or hose, look for the Water Efficiency Labelling Scheme (WELS) stars or choose appliances that minimise water waste.
For more water-saving tips and to find out your household’s average water use, visit Wellington Water’s website: https://www.wellingtonwater.co.nz/resources/topic/water-conservation/water-calculator/
Editor notes
Wellington Water is owned and fully funded by Wellington City Council, Hutt City Council, Porirua City Council, and Upper Hutt City Council, Greater Wellington Regional Council and South Wairarapa District Council. All six councils are equal shareholders.
Our councils own the water infrastructure in the region, and they task us to manage the infrastructure and deliver water services to our communities.
Wellington Water is governed by a Board of Directors. The Board and our organisation receive overall leadership and direction from the Wellington Water Committee, which are also responsible for appointing members to the Board.
The Wellington Water Committee is made up of representatives from our council owners and mana whenua.