Waikato and Coromandel councils warn over summer water usage

The Waikato River could be at below average levels for the upcoming summer. Photo / File

Waikato and Coromandel councils are urging residents to start conserving water with a hot summer and low catchment water levels expected over the Christmas break.

In the Waikato, Waipa District Council water services manager Martin Mould said the district was still feeling the impacts of the severe meteorological drought.

"Last year we had a particularly challenging year in Waipā, moving to alert level 4 for the first time ever in Te Awamutu, Pirongia and Ohaupo. With below normal rainfall this winter, our catchments haven't fully recharged yet, so we will need to be mindful of this starting now," Mould said.

"NIWA has advised that we're in for a hot and humid summer, and with Lake Taupo's water levels being below normal for much of the winter period affecting the levels in the Waikato River and how much we can take for Cambridge and surrounds.

"We need to be mindful that water is a precious resource that we need to value and use efficiently."

Mercury energy company has recently been managing storage in Lake Taupo to maintain river levels in response to the seasonally lower than normal levels at Lake Taupo. Mercury's commercial advisor, Larnie Chrystall said the past 12 months have been the driest on record leading to reduced inflows into the lake.

"In the last 12 months, we have not had one month with above average rainfall. The wettest month in terms of percentile inflows was October 2020, where we received 30th percentile inflows," Chrystall said.

"The last 12 months – November 2019 to October 2020 – were the driest we have on record for that timeframe."

Hamilton City Council's city waters manager Maire Porter said low levels in Lake Taupo give rise to concerns for all towns, including Hamilton, which take water from the Waikato River.

"While Hamilton city has a resource consent to take water from the river, this is not an unlimited supply. Additionally, if Waikato River levels drop significantly due to low levels in Lake Taupo, it could limit how much water we can physically take from the river during summer this year," Porter said.

In the Coromandel, the district council is warning that water levels are already starting to drop, with Opitonui River flow at about 80 per cent compared to last year.

Although public water supply takes priority over other requirements, Waikato Regional Council is keeping a close eye on proactive actions the council can take to comply with the resource consent limits on water takes and manage demand.

From this week, all areas in the Coromandel district are now on level 2 and residents are asked to conserve water and use it carefully.

The council has also been working closely with Hahei Water Supply Association (HWSA) to agree on some strategies to manage demand in the Hahei area, given both HWSA and the council take water from the same aquifer. Funding has been requested in the next Long Term Plan to investigate new water sources for Whitianga and Hahei.