With more steady sunny days and summer holidays fast approaching, drinking water supply remains a concern for Tauranga and the wider Bay of Plenty region. Tauranga City Council reiterates its message to the community to conserve water every day this summer.
Tauranga City Council has been signalling concerns to the community in the past months. Stephen Burton, Director City Waters said that whilst we’ve had a good amount of rain recently, this hasn’t impacted flow in the rivers that supply the city’s drinking water. River flow levels continue to be lower than normal.
‘We’ll all need to do our bit to make it through the hot summer months,' he said.
‘We can make a big impact by considering how we use water outdoors, when watering gardens or washing homes, cars and boats. An easy test is to ask yourself if what you do is a good use of drinking water.’
Saving water in the garden is the single biggest difference we can make. This can be challenging during the hotter months, but the sooner we start preparing, the better our gardens will fare.
Here are some tips to help:
- Cover ground around plants and trees with mulch to prevent evaporation and keep soil cool.
- Give your garden a good soak every few days to train the roots of your plants to grow deeper. This helps protect them from heat, disease and fungus.
- Keep your lawn grass long over summer to keep more moisture in. Longer grass provides shade, so your grass doesn’t dry as quickly.
- Water during the cooler parts of the day, between 5 and 8am and 7 and 10pm to prevent evaporation.
Mister Burton emphasises it’s a team effort that defines our outcomes.
‘As the situation evolves, we will keep everyone posted,’ he said. ‘We appreciate the help of our community in managing water use and continue to work with Bay of Plenty Regional Council and Western Bay of Plenty District Council in monitoring the situation in the region. Our combined efforts will make the difference this summer.’
To find out more, visit www.tauranga.govt.nz/savingwater