It's United Nations World Water Day March 22nd. This year's theme is 'Water for peace'
Hamilton, Waikato and Waipa have all moved to Water Alert Level 1 – sprinklers between 6am-8am and 6pm-8pm, hand held hosing at any time.
Representatives from Hamilton City Council and Waikato and Waipa District Councils have been meeting to discuss action plans for summer under the combined Smart Water initiative.
Smart Water Co-ordinator Sally Fraser explains there are a lot of factors to consider before water alert levels can be put in place.
“We closely monitor water use, weather predictions and trends from previous summers to guide how we manage water.”
Water usage has seen a significant peak across the council regions and current weather predictions suggest one of the most significant El Nino climate patterns seen since 1950.
Sally’s asking everyone to prepare for a long, dry summer and to be smart with their water use.
“Water conservation is always important, but this summer could mean some special challenges. Everybody can make some small changes to their water usage that can save a lot of water each day. Together that makes a massive difference across the region.”
An e-newsletter alert is now available at www.smartwater.org.nz for everyone to subscribe and receive water alert notifications direct to their inbox. Subscribers also go in the draw for monthly prizes!
“There’s enough water for everyone if everyone plays their part.”
The Smart Water Starts with You! sub-regional summer campaign aims to make long-term change to how we use water and is a joint venture between Hamilton City Council, Waikato District Council and Waipa District Council.