Nelson councillors hosed off
Nelson is being challenged to save water as a way to stave off more stringent restrictions.
Stage two water restrictions are already in place in Nelson and councillors are concerned the message isn’t getting out to the public.
Councillor Gaile Noonan said at a public briefing yesterday she was still seeing people hosing down cars. Cr Brian McGurk said the message needed to be clearer, as he was often approached by people who weren’t certain what usage of water was allowed.
Cr Mike Rutledge suggested publicising ‘‘top 10 absolutely immediate ways’’ to save water.
‘‘Let’s just make it really easy for people, because we’re not doing that right now.’’
Mayor Rachel Reese said she was interested in putting the challenge out to the public to see how much water could be saved.
‘‘If you’ve got a bucket in the shower collecting the water you use, good on you,’’ she said.
‘‘This directly affects all of us. There’s an interest in all of us getting behind a conservation message.’’
Tasman district residents are being asked to cut their water-usage by as much as 50 per cent as drought conditions worsen in the area.
Cr Ian Barker said that although Nelson wasn’t in the same situation yet, there was a ‘‘shared risk’’ of fire and drought that could put pressure on water reserves at any point.
‘‘We share the risk, but we also need to share the responsibility. We’re all one big region.’’
The council is considering removing the hanging baskets of flowers in the CBD as early as next week, and decreasing watering of sports grounds to help reduce water use.
City councillors heard that Nelson’s Maitai Dam had enough water in it to satisfy current usage rates until mid-May without any rain or any further cutbacks. This includes a 2000 cubic metre water allowance being siphoned into the Tasman district.
Nelson City Council chief executive Pat Dougherty said in reality the water reserves should last longer, as the lower the water levels got, the more restrictions would be put in place.
Current water restriction stages, and ways to conserve water, can be found on the council’s website.