Soaring temperatures doing no favours for looming water crisis
Tuesday, 9 January 2024
A week of scorching temperatures is doing the looming water crisis no favours with Wellingtonians snapping up storage tanks faster than they can be supplied.
And that’s as drinking water spills out over central city footpaths.
MetService is forecasting a week without rain and highs above 22C - with a high of 25C expected on Wednesday.
As summer kicks into gear, Wellington Water is estimating there’s a one-in-three chance of the toughest restrictions - a ban on all outdoor water use and the need cut indoor water use drastically.
Just before Christmas, Wellington Region Emergency Management Office (Wremo) regional manager Jeremy Holmes warned of tight summer water restrictions and possible disruption to supply.
He urged people to get water tanks but stocks in some councils quickly ran out after the warning and are only now coming back in stock.
Wellington is at level one restrictions, meaning sprinklers can be used only every second day.
Wellington Water’s update for this week says there is a 100% chance that level two water restrictions will be in place this summer, meaning a ban on irrigation and sprinklers, and gardens only being hand-watered.
There was a 70% chance of level three restrictions, meaning absolutely no outdoor water use, less indoor use, and businesses being asked to be “pragmatic and responsible”.
Level four restrictions currently had a 33% chance of being imposed. This stage, the last one before a regional state of emergency is declared, means a significant reduction in indoor water use — by up to 50% — no outdoor use, and businesses having to “significantly reduce“ water use.
Wellington Water did not have the probability of a state of emergency happening. This would mean some areas having no water and those that did get supply would have to significantly reduce use.
Wellington City Council’s tip shop sold out of all its water tanks, for sale to the public, within hours of the pre-Christmas warning that some Wellington taps could run dry.
On Monday, Wellington City Council spokesperson Richard MacLean said a shipment of up to 70 tanks, each of them 200 litres, was expected at the Tip Shop about midday on Tuesday.
“We’ve been bombarded by callers and our message is to please be patient,” he said.
“Now the Christmas break is over we’ll have regular supplies of the tanks delivered.”
Tip Shop manager Shelali Shetty said staff had received lots of requests to reserve tanks but the delivery would be on a 'first come, first served' basis. She stressed weekly tank deliveries were expected throughout the year.
Likewise, a statement from Hutt City Council said there had been “significant” interest in tanks and a fresh delivery was due on Thursday or Friday, with regular deliveries from then on.
Porirua City Council’s 24 tanks sold out on Monday. It expected a delivery of 96 more next week. Upper Hutt City Council has sold 456 tanks since October but is currently out of stock.
The Tank Guy in Feilding supplies tanks to councils, and owner Gary King said getting all the equipment needed for the full tank set ups had been “an exercise” but he was confident he could keep up with demand. He was making 72 of the 200L tanks a day.
Wellington City councillor Diane Calvert has two water tanks on her Khandallah property — one for emergencies and one for her garden.
“I think everyone should have them regardless of the current water shortage situation,” she said.
“It just makes sense. We should all be doing our bit for the planet when we can.”
While Wellington’s water troubles are exacerbated by a lack of rain, the underlying issue is a network of pipes, some more than 100 years old, that have suffered from chronic underinvestment for years. Wellington Water has put the price to fix the pipes across the Wellington region at $1 billion a year.
In November alone, Wellington Water crews fixed 754 leaks but that left 3050. It is estimated that 44% of the region’s water is lost to leaks.