Level three water restrictions to be imposed in Napier if high consumption continues
Increased water use over the past week means Napier residents may face further water restrictions if the community as a whole doesn’t try to reduce its water use.
Like Hastings District, Napier is already at Level Two restrictions, which means sprinklers and hoses can only be used between 6am and 8am, and 7pm and 9pm with even-numbered houses on even days of the month, and odd-numbered houses on odd days of the month.
Level Three restrictions mean a total ban on sprinklers.
A Napier City Council spokesman said this does not mean Napier is about to run out of water, but rather it is about making sure the pumps in the city’s drinking water network can keep the reservoirs filled and the water flowing.
"We need enough water for emergencies and firefighting purposes, particularly as hotter weather also increases the risk of fires," he said.
The spokesman said hot weather is always a factor in deciding whether to impose restrictions as it naturally increases people’s desire to use more water than normal.
Eighty percent of the drinking water supply fed into the drinking water network each day over the past week has been used. If this stays above 80 percent, Level Three restrictions will be imposed.
Reservoir levels are being monitored daily and weather forecasts closely watched.
He said the council is also doing its bit to conserve water.
A three-year leak detection project to prioritise asset repairs and renewals began last year, and there is an ongoing reduction in the number of annuals being planted, particularly in street beds, where they have been replaced with more drought-tolerant species such as succulents.
A high-tech soil moisture monitoring and irrigation system was also installed at McLean Park during the re-turf project, and meters have been installed in most sports grounds, including McLean Park in 2018. This has led to an overall reduction in water consumption at metered sites.
The “H2O is the Way to Go” campaign encouraging the community to save water in a variety of ways, which NCC is promoting together with the Hastings District and Hawke’s Bay regional councils offers further ways to ensure there is enough water for everyone.
