Labour Weekend is a great time to do outdoor jobs in preparation for summer, but before you turn on the tap make sure you check the Water Watchers Plan.
After regular rain and a wet winter, water conservation may not be front of mind for many people.
But with Labour Weekend coming up and a hot summer on the horizon, it’s a perfect time to be proactive and tick off some tasks around the home before Tauranga City Council’s Water Watchers plan ramps up in November and December.
Water Watchers is a year-round plan to manage Tauranga’s water supply - at home, at work, and in the community, with restrictions on sprinklers, water blasters, hoses, filling pools, and other outdoor water use as we enter summer.
Grouped into months, the plan restricts outdoor water use, either outright or at certain times of the day, depending on the method used.
When it comes to washing down the house, driveway, fence and cobbles, or prepping surfaces for home DIY jobs, it pays to be familiar with the Water Watchers plan. Water blasters and high-pressure cleaners are fine to use at home until December, but if you’re planning to use a hose with a trigger nozzle to wash down any hard surfaces, you should act fast, as this is prohibited from 1 November.
Water Services Manager Peter Bahrs says that in addition to following the Water Watchers plan, we should be mindful of our water use year-round, regardless of the weather.
“Despite all the recent rain, after years of dry summers, the flow in the streams that supply our city’s water has improved but is still not fully replenished. Tauranga uses about 30% more water over summer, so it’s important we all stick to the plan and get any water blasting, pool filling or car washing done at the appropriate time.
“There’s so much more we, as a community, can do throughout the year too. Installing a water-efficient showerhead can save 50 litres per shower, turning off the tap while brushing our teeth saves about 30 litres a day, and scraping your plates into the food scraps bin instead of the waste disposal unit in your sink can save six litres a day.”
Tauranga City Council is building a library of water saving tips and tricks for Tauranga households that will be added to over time. Visit www.tauranga.govt.nz/water-conservation for more information.