Water alert level one arrives

Water alert levels have arrived before Santa this year, for those living in two of the most populated urban and rural centres in the Waikato region.

Hamilton City Council and neighbouring Waipa¯ District Council are managing their precious water resources together over summer and will move into water alert level one today.

The councils are taking a proactive lead from NIWA projections for the upcoming summer, which point to hot and humid weather, following a year of lower rainfall after the severe meteorological drought in 2019-20.

Hamilton and Waipa¯ source water from the Waikato River, which came under pressure last summer. Climate change is expected to bring longer and more intense droughts, as rising temperatures make

New Zealand’s climate more turbulent.

Waipa¯ District Council Water Services Manager Martin Mould said the decision to move early into the alert levels was prompted by last summer’s experience, when Te Awamutu, Pirongia and O¯ haupo¯ moved into alert level four for the first time.

Neighbouring Matamata-Piako has already moved to level 1 restrictions. The Taupo¯ District also went to level 1 yesterday.

Level four is the most severe alert and dictates a total outdoor watering ban.

‘‘The water supply for Te Awamutu and Pirongia comes from a small stream on Mt Pirongia which is quickly affected by hot and humid temperatures,’’ Mould said.

‘‘Our experienced waters team is monitoring our water supply levels across the district and indicated that moving early will help prolong the supply.’’