South Taranaki District residents asked to conserve water or face water restrictions

The Waiaua River near the Ōpunakē water treatment plant intake. Photo / Supplied

South Taranaki District residents are being encouraged to conserve water this summer.

For the first time in many years parts of South Taranaki will likely see water restrictions this summer, largely due to new regulations and a storm-affected river catchment says South Taranaki District Council group manager of community and infrastructure services, Fiona Aitken.

She says severe weather events on the maunga during spring resulted in significant erosion and silting of the Waiaua river catchment which feeds the Ōpunakē water supply.

"With heavy rainfall the river quickly becomes laden with debris and silt which clogs the intake to the water treatment plant and puts severe strain on our ability to treat and process the water."

Fiona says council is working on plans to stabilise the area around the intake, however these won't be complete for some time, so the only option is to conserve water or introduce restrictions.

In other parts of the district, new consent conditions also mean water restrictions are more likely.

"We had to renew our consent for taking water from the Waingongoro River for the Eltham water supply. As part of our consent conditions if the river drops to a certain level, we must introduce water restrictions too - we don't have any option."

She says these new conditions are all part of the Government's freshwater reforms which have a greater focus on preserving the health and vitality of our streams and rivers than previously.

"We need to appreciate that this is the new normal, not just for South Taranaki but the whole of New Zealand. We are fortunate in that we've got enough water to go around, but not enough to waste. We just need people to conserve, fix leaks, use water wisely and not be wasteful. If we can do that, we can protect the health of our streams and rivers and get through summer without needing widespread restrictions."

Visit www.southtaranaki.com for easy tips and tricks of how to conserve water in the home and garden.