Further water restrictions issued for Queenstown suburbs

The Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) has today issued water restrictions for Lake Hayes Estate, Shotover Country and Arthur’s Point to help reduce the high demand on local water supplies.

The following restrictions are effective immediately and until further notice:

· No irrigation between midday and midnight

· Sprinklers and irrigators with timers fitted may be used for 30 minutes between midnight and 6am

· Hand-held hoses may be used between 6am and midday, provided they are being held at all times.

QLDC Chief Engineer Ulrich Glasner said the combination of hot dry weather and high demand has put a lot of pressure on the pumps servicing reservoirs in both areas. “Conserving water now will reduce the risk of the pumps failing and the reservoirs to replenish. If demand continues at the current rate, we run the risk of the bores running dry.”

Residents living in other parts of the district are also asked to conserve water to try and prevent further restrictions.

“There are many simple things we can all do to conserve water and if we all start doing one or two of them now, hopefully we won’t see further restrictions,” Mr Glasner said.

There are a number of simple ways people can conserve water, including:

· Water gardens by hand rather than setting a sprinkler.

· Use a simple timer for your sprinkler. Water your lawn for an hour between midnight and 6.00am, when demand on the water supply is low.

· Check the arc of your sprinkler and make sure you’re watering the garden or lawn, not the path and driveway.

· Wash dishes and clothes when you have a full load.

· Take shorter showers: just a minute less in the shower every day can save up to 18 litres. Most mains-pressure showers use 9 to 18 litres of water every minute, so more than five minutes in the shower could be using more water than you'd need for a bath.

· Check for and fix leaks: A leaking toilet may not be obvious, but it can waste thousands of litres of water in a year

Water restrictions are still in place for Arrowtown and will continue until further notice.

ENDS:

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