Picton and Waikawa residents urged to conserve water

Picton and Waikawa residents are being urged to conserve water in February during the final stage of the community’s water scheme upgrade.

An alternate-day sprinkler restriction from 30 January to 3 March has been issued by Marlborough District Council to ensure the Picton and Waikawa community’s water supplies don’t run out during the upgrade.

Council Operations and Maintenance Engineer, Stephen Rooney, says the upgrade of the Speeds Road water treatment plant will improve the reliability of supply and enhance water quality for the community.

Work on the year-long $4.14m upgrade has included the installation of an ultra-violet treatment system to improve water quality, ensuring the community’s water meets national water quality standards.

“We’re now at the final commissioning stage of the project and need the community’s co-operation to ensure residents don’t run out of water during this last phase,” Mr Rooney says.

A reduced supply of water will be provided from the Council’s Speeds Road and Essons Valley water schemes throughout February; however Mr Rooney says the temporary alternate-day water restriction is needed to ensure households don’t run out of water.

Properties in Picton and Waikawa with even-numbered street addresses can use sprinklers and sprinkler systems on even-numbered days only. Properties with odd-numbered street addresses can use sprinklers and sprinkler systems on odd-numbered days only. Mr Rooney says the restriction doesn’t apply to hand-held watering, however he encouraged people to be aware of conserving as much water as possible, and to use sprinklers and sprinkler systems sparingly on permitted days.

“At this time of year we’re seeing a spike in water demand through the use of sprinklers and irrigation systems. These can use hundreds of litres of water each day, with one sprinkler alone capable of using 900 litres an hour.

The Council is also cutting its water use in the area throughout February, while continuing to maintain community amenities.

“We’re paring back ground irrigation at Endeavour Park to a minimum and reducing the irrigation of hanging baskets in Picton’s town centre. The soon-to- be-opened water play feature on Picton’s foreshore will have reduced hours in February to enable families to still access cool relief during the hottest part of the day without having to resort to sprinklers at home.”

Mr Rooney says it is crucial that residents and business owners do as much as possible to conserve water, and further restrictions are possible but not ideal. “We’re hoping residents will consider others in their community when they’re watering their lawns and gardens. We don’t want to get into a situation where households run out of water and we need to implement further restrictions on water use in the community.

“The end is in sight and from early March onwards the community will have a far more reliable supply of quality water.”

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