Summer Water Use begins in Palmy
Published on 21 December 2023
We’re asking residents to jump on board our Summer Water Use initiative to help Palmy avoid water restrictions for the fourth year in a row.
While we’ve been getting the rain these past few weeks, a long hot dry summer is on the cards as the country moves into an El Niño weather pattern.
For Palmy, an El Niño means we’ll be having more westerly winds, far less rain than usual, a drop in soil moisture and higher temperatures than previous summers.
The country hasn’t seen an El Niño since 2016, which was the hottest year on record. It’s predicted that this summer will make a new record.
Three Waters Group Manager Mike Monaghan says with a long, hot , dry summer coming we need to be seriously thinking about our water use now.
Summer Water Use began 4 years ago to encourage Palmy residents to voluntarily act as though they’re already in water restrictions, and to only use water outside between 7pm and 9pm, every second day. The day you choose should be based on the number on your letterbox: even houses water on even days, and odd houses on odd days.
“Our community listened and we’ve managed to get through the past couple of summers without any restrictions! We need everyone to get into summer water use now, so that we can hopefully avoid or at least delay the need for water restrictions in 2024. We’re asking people to start these efforts now, through to April. It was great that we could avoid water restrictions these past couple of summers, and we really hope we can make it 4 summers in a row.”
He says come January we will be doing a lot of reminders to our community as we get into the depths of summer.
Mr Monaghan says Palmy will only move to compulsory restrictions on outdoor water use if our water conservation efforts aren’t enough, and we have concerns about a water shortage.
Palmy’s water mainly comes from the Turitea Dam but also has a number of bores around the city and villages. Ashhurst, Longburn and Bunnythorpe each have only one bore to supply them.
The dam is currently full, but that can change quickly with a few hot sunny days.
Mr Monaghan says once the dam level begins dropping, water conservation efforts become very important.
“The Turitea dam is in a natural valley, which means that as the level drops, there is less water available.”
Mr Monaghan is thanking the community for being stewards of a precious resource.
“Our city is extremely fortunate compared to many others around the country. We have planned well and have a range of water sources available. This is about showing that we value water, and don’t waste it. It focuses on choosing to minimise our water use over summer, changing our behaviour long-term and valuing water as the incredibly precious taonga it is.”
Mr Monaghan says that each week we will provide an update on our website, social media and to media about the city’s water use. We also have an icon that will be on our website, social media and on the iSite billboard, showing our how water conservation efforts are going. We’ve adopted a similar icon to Fire and Emergency NZ's fire risk meters.
Get behind Summer Water Use today
We can all make easy changes to save water this summer:
- Head to our public pools at The Lido, Freyberg and Splashhurst
- If you really want your own paddling pool in your yard, empty the water onto your gardens rather than the lawn
- When you’re watering the garden every second day, do it at sunrise or sunset so the water sinks into the soil rather than evaporating
- Mulch your gardens. This prevents weeds and helps plants by retaining moisture
- If you’re putting new plants in your garden, pick ones that are drought resistant or don’t need as much water
- Wash your car with a bucket and sponge rather than using a hose
- Use a trigger controlled hose rather than a sprinkler, so you don’t waste water
- Only pop your dishwasher or washing machine on when you have full loads
- Turn off the tap when you are brushing your teeth