Far North urged to conserve water

Unprecedented demand for water is breaking records in parts of Northland, prompting one council to issue an urgent plea for everyone in a tourist hub to immediately reduce water consumption.

Water carriers in the region say while they were not inundated with requests over the public holidays, they are starting to field calls from lifestock block owners, bachs, and residential houses that rely on tank water.

The Far North District Council is urging residents, businesses, and visitors in Paihia to immediately reduce water consumption as it struggles to keep up with demand.

Level 2 restrictions are in place for Kaitaia, Kawakawa, and Moerewa, which means use of unattended garden hoses, sprinklers and irrigation devices by households and businesses connected to council supplies are banned until further notice.

Although the Paihia water treatment plant is now running 24 hours a day and is producing a record amount of treated water, storage reservoirs that normally refill overnight are failing to reach capacity.

The plant normally produces a maximum of 3200 cu m of water a day but staff have managed to push this to 3375 cu m.

“There has been a huge influx of visitors to the area, and the council wants to do all it can to support our tourism industry. However, we simply cannot produce enough water to meet current demand, so I am pleading with everyone to immediately reduce water consumption over the holiday period so we can avoid the need for water restrictions,” mayor John Carter said.

FNDC has redirected bulk water carriers to refill rainwater tanks, to its Kawakawa-Moerewa and Kaikohe supplies.