Nelson CityCouncil works and infrastructure committee chairman Eric Davy is asking people to conserve water as the Maitai Dam level continues to fall.
The Maitai Dam, the city’s primary source of water, is substantially lower than it was at this time last year and it is dropping by 6 centimeters a day.
The combination of water use, the council’s requirement to keep the Maitai River running, evaporation caused by heat and wind and a lack of heavy rain has meant the dam has been losing water at a far greater rate than it’s been collecting it. Yesterday, stage one water restrictions were implemented in Nelson urban areas meaning sprinklers can only be used on alternate days.
Handheld watering is still permitted but only one hose may be used at a time.
Tasman introduced stage one water restrictions two weeks ago and will review them today.
Nelson City Council works and infrastructure committee chairman Eric Davy said the past four weeks of hot, dry weather had meant the restrictions had to be introduced earlier than last year.
“If we have a hot, dry summer then we will have to impose harder restrictions than we did last year.
“We’re asking people to be aware that the more they use that is unnecessary the quicker heavier restrictions are going to come in, and this year doesn’t look particularly good.”
He said he did not want to be the “Grinch of Christmas” but people needed to be aware of the water they were using to keep small swimming pools filled and sprinklers running.
“We have sprinklers that we keep running for children to run through to keep themselves cool and that’s great but you lose track of how much water you’re using.
“Take your kids to the beach, take them to the public swimming pool. Just remember one of the penalties we pay for living in such a beautiful place is this, and having the beautiful weather that we have, means that sometimes we have to pay back.”
If the dry spell continues water restrictions will continue to get tougher.
Stage two rules out all garden sprinkling and requires watering to be done with a handheld hose. Beyond that, hoses and car washing would be suspended and watering cans must be used.
Davy said the council had no choice but to make sure they looked at the long-term. “At this stage we certainly hope we don’t get to that.”
He said the Maitai Dam had millions of litres of low-level dirty water that “if worse came to worse” could be pumped up and cleaned, but that would be expensive. Using what was available wisely and practising water conservation was the preferred option, he said.
The contentious Lee Valley dam would not help Nelson residents in dry summers, as the water from that dam would be Tasman water and not for Nelson’s use, he said.
It would not take much rain to raise the level of the Maitai dam and he hoped the rain forecast for this week would do just that.
Water restrictions will remain until there is a heavy rainfall.
– The Nelson Mail