Carterton residents on the town water supply are asked to limit outdoor watering from today [Wednesday 5 January].

Carterton District Council has called on people whose homes are linked to the urban water system to use sprinkler systems on alternate days only.

Restrictions will stay in place until water usage levels, and the flow of water sources, return to sustainable levels.

The recent usage and supply figures mean further restrictions, including using handheld hoses only, will also be implemented soon.

December’s water use was, on average, above the daily 2500 cubic metre limit. Recent dry weather has lowered levels from our main source, the Kaipatangata stream, and the water supply is now from Council bores.

CDC is required by its resource consent obligations to employ restrictions due to the increased demand on the water supply. There also needs to be enough water stored in our reservoirs for critical services such as firefighting, says Rachel Round, CDC’s Consents, Compliance, and Operations Manager.

“It’s never an ideal time to announce restrictions, and we had hoped to avoid implementing restrictions over the holiday period.

“But it is essential to conserve water at all times, and especially during the dry summer months.”

Carterton’s average daily water consumption during the summer on average is 1000 cubic meters more than in winter.

These peaks come from high levels of garden watering and other uses such as swimming pool filling and topping up. A garden hose can easily deliver 20 litres of water every minute; that is equivalent to a bath full of water every five minutes, so it’s easy to see how careless watering or leaving the tap on by accident can waste a lot of water.

Delays forced by recent lockdowns and supply issues have meant that our 2000 cubic metre [2million litre] tanks were not installed this summer. However, these tanks, which will store enough water to supply for several days, should be installed later this year.

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