Embrace your golden lawn, residents urged
Watering ban follows demand spike amid dry spell
Timaru residents have been banned from watering their lawns following a spike in water usage as January’s hot, dry spell is expected to continue.
The Timaru District Council imposed level-one water restrictions on the district on Wednesday, meaning residents need to reduce water use and are prohibited from watering their lawns.
Council spokesman Stephen Doran said the average daily water demand for Timaru in January was 34.1 million litres, up nearly 10 per cent compared with the same time last year.
Water usage in Temuka and rural areas was up 20 per cent, while Geraldine was up 40 per cent and Pleasant Point was up 50 per cent.
‘‘A spike in demand from consumers watering their gardens in dry times is outstripping the amount we’re allowed to take from the rivers,’’ Doran said.
‘‘This means that water levels will drop faster than we are able to replenish them under our resource consent.’’
MetService meteorologist Tom Adams said temperatures in Timaru would rise to 24 degrees Celsius today, 26C tomorrow, and a scorching 34C on Sunday.
South Canterbury was expected to stay dry for at least the next three weeks, Adams said.
‘‘There will be a few showers, like on Tuesday, but not enough to make a huge difference.’’
Hot weather was being felt all over the country because of humid air coming from the tropics and Australia, he said.
Strong wind was also contributing to South Canterbury’s dry and warm weather, he said.
MetService issued a strong wind warning for the Canterbury High Country from 7pm yesterday to 9am today, which reached 140kmh in exposed places.
Adams said a similar warning was expected for Sunday and Monday.
Doran said the council was monitoring water use closely and may increase the water restriction level if necessary to make sure water was available for drinking, cooking, hygiene and other essential uses.
The highest ban the council could impose was a total hosing ban, he said.
‘‘The seriousness of the issue and how long it goes on depends on community buy-in for water conservation. If everyone does a little bit to conserve water now, we can ensure that we don’t have to put significantly stricter rules on outdoor water usage.’’
The district council’s infrastructure acting group manager, Erik Barnes, said the network could not continue supporting the district’s high levels of outdoor water use.
‘‘We’re asking people to embrace their golden lawn during the height of summer. It won’t be harmed in the long term and will be green again once the rain starts coming later in the year,’’ Barnes said.
Mackenzie District mayor Graham Smith said similar restrictions were likely ‘‘at some stage over the summer’’ for the district. ‘‘This would be as a result of low river flows. Council has no current concerns with regard to the water supply to our communities. Reservoir levels and water consumption are currently within normal operating ranges for the time of year.’’
Waimate District Council asset group manager Dan Mitchell said with two deep bores supplying the area, he had no concerns about water levels.
‘‘We have not yet reached levels where water restrictions are required. Our historic water conservation messaging is likely to have influenced the way our consumers are using water. We will continue to monitor the situation,’’ Mitchell said.
‘‘It [the grass] won’t be harmed in the long term and will be green again once the rain starts coming later in the year.’’
Erik Barnes
Timaru District Council
A ‘‘slab of humid air’’ from the tropics will push temperatures in some parts of New Zealand into the mid-30s on Sunday and Monday, MetService says.
Northwesterlies will be ferocious from today in many mountainous areas and in some exposed coastal areas.
‘‘The combination of warm, humid air with strong northwesterly winds leads to a marked heating effect in eastern areas,’’ MetService meteorologist Tom Adams said yesterday.
‘‘This will add several extra degrees to the already high air temperatures. Unfortunately, these warm temperatures will stick around at night too.’’
It won’t be until at least Tuesday that a cold front sweeps away muggy air from the South Island. The front will weaken over the North Island, so warm temperatures are likely to continue there well into next week, Adams said.
‘‘This means that several locations are likely to meet heatwave conditions, where daily maximum temperatures exceed monthly averages by five degrees for five or more days in a row.’’
MetService is forecasting highs of 35 degrees Celsius on Sunday and Monday for Hastings, and 34C in Blenheim and 35C in Christchurch on Sunday. Auckland’s warmest day in the next week is expected to be Tuesday, when a high of 28C is forecast.
Today there’s a chance westerly winds could reach severe gale strength in exposed parts of southern Hawke’s Bay and northern Wairarapa.
The humid air is also forecast to bring persistent heavy rain to the southern West Coast and Fiordland from Sunday to Tuesday, with a possibility of slips and surface flooding.