Each year, the return of Daylight Saving means the start of Water Restriction Level 1 across the Wellington region.
From Sunday 29 September 2024, if you live in an even numbered house, you can use sprinklers or irrigation systems only on even numbered days between 6-8am and 7-9pm. If you live in an odd numbered house, the same rules apply for odd numbered days.
This has a very simple function – it spreads the load of our daily water demand while everyone can still regularly water their gardens using their sprinklers.
Without water restrictions, everyone could be watering their garden at once which could drive demand up too close to the finite amount Wellington Water can safely treat and supply each day.
Wondering why we specify when to water your garden? During the day, when its hottest, water evaporates quickly – so not as much gets absorbed by the gardens and lawns being watered. If you water in the morning or evening, you give your garden the best chance of soaking up that precious wai.
Remember - you can use handheld watering devices any time, on any day, so long as you don’t leave them unattended.
Why do we need water restrictions?
The Wellington region has a finite daily water supply. In winter, when there's plenty of rain and the river levels are healthy, Wellington Water can supply up to about 220 million litres of water per day.
In summer, when it’s hot and dry and river levels drop, this can go down to 170 million litres of water per day.
That might sound like a lot, but due to leaks in our aging network (which we're working hard on finding and fixing), population growth and the fact that Wellingtonians use on average more water than any other metropolitan region in Aotearoa, our water use adds up fast – getting up to 205 million litres per day in summer and dipping into our stored water!
But this stored water is precious and is critical for getting through a long dry period, and in summer it’s harder to refill the lakes. So over time, they get lower and lower, leaving Wellington with less and less water stored and available until next winter.
This means we have to be careful to manage our daily water supply and demand, and that’s where water restrictions come in. They help everyone understand how they can best manage their personal water use, so there’s enough to go round for the necessities.
Wellington Water and councils are tracking well towards an agreed upon goal of a 7.4MLD reduction in demand (water used by the public or lost through leaks), which will significantly reduce the risk of Water Restriction Level 4 during summer 2024/25. However, we all need to play our part to reduce the risk of Level 3, which would mean no outdoor water use except for buckets and watering cans. You can find out more about the different restriction levels here.
What is Hutt City Council doing about improving water supply and resilience?
In June 2024, Hutt City Council approved its 10 Year Plan 2024-34, with a primary focus on tackling generational under-investment in infrastructure. A key measure was additional funding of $2.8 million to address water leak repairs in 2024-25, and a further $1.5 million each year from 2025-26.
Want some help conserving water at your place? Check out some simple water saving tips.
Businesses and non-residential users, find guidance on managing your water use here.
We're working hard with Wellington Water to fix leaks across the city. Seen one? Make sure to report it via hutt.city/rap so we can get it fixed.
How to store water
In an emergency, have a plan in place for water, such as a household emergency water supply to help keep you prepared for a possible water shortage (but is also important for other emergencies such as earthquakes).
You need to have at least three litres of drinking water for each person per day. You will also need water for pets, cooking and washing.
For more information on storing emergency water and general household preparedness, visit the Wellington Region Emergency Management Office (WREMO) website.
You can buy a 200L water tank for collecting rainwater at our neighbourhood hubs.
The 200L water tanks usually fit in the backseat of a car - 1200mm x 650mm and weigh 7.5kg. They come with all the attachments needed and can be installed in less than 30 minutes.
Info on how to install your water tank can be found on YouTube, thanks to our friends at Upper Hutt City Council!
You can also purchase water tanks from various hardware and home improvement stores when in stock.
Find out more about the tanks we sell with The Tank Guy here.
Not everyone is able to store a large 200L water tank at home. Thankfully, there are lots of other ways you can store emergency water:
- You can prepare your own containers of water in soft-drink bottles. Don’t use plastic jugs or cardboard containers that have had milk in them. Milk protein cannot be removed from these containers. Just be sure to keep the bottles free of wear-and-tear.
- You can also fill plastic ice cream containers with water. Label them and keep them in the freezer. These can help keep food cool if the power is off and can also be used for drinking.
- You can purchase special plastic containers from hardware stores. The bottles are designed for easy pouring, and you can fill them to the top so that no air is trapped - helping to keep the water fresh.
- If you choose to buy commercially bottled water, store it in the original sealed container. Do not open it until you need to use it. Observe and replace according to the expiration or use-by date.
Kitchen
Dishwashers don’t use as much water as you might think, but leaving a high-pressure kitchen tap running can use up to 12 litres per minute.
Skip the pre-rinse - scrape off food into the compost/bin instead.
Handwashing your dishes? Fill your sink rather than washing under a running tap.
Rinsing out recycling when needed is vital, and you save water when you use dirty water (e.g. from washing dishes) or stick them in the dishwasher where possible.
Laundry
A washing machine can use more than 120 litres of water per load! Cutting down your use is simple.
Only do full loads of laundry.
Be an outfit repeater! Got an outfit with no visible stains? If it passes the sniff test, hang it up and wear it again later in the week.
If you’re in the market for a new washing machine, front-loaders can use significantly less water.
Garden and Outdoors
Hand watering:
Add mulch (old leaves or grass clippings after mowing) to your garden. This helps stop wind and sun drying out the soil, cutting evaporation by up to 70% and puts nutrients back in the soil.
The middle of the day is when the sun is hottest – and evaporation happens fast. Water in the early morning or evening, so your garden gets the maximum benefit.
In dry weather, check your garden every 4-7 days. If your soil is moist 10cm below the surface, don’t worry about watering. Water close to the ground at a rate the soil can absorb. Slow watering and not over-watering your garden is important.
When you're using your hose, make sure that you're not spraying your paths or fences.
Bathroom
One minute in the shower can use up to 18 litres of water. Keep it quick in the shower (about as long as a song) and make every minute count, with an efficient shower head. Find them at your local hardware store.
Brushing your teeth? Turn off the tap! A bathroom tap uses around 6 litres of water per minute.
Toilet:
Stick to the half-flush and save the full flush for when you really, really need it.
If your whānau or flatmates don’t mind, ‘if it’s yellow, let it mellow’.
Ignoring that slow drip in the loo? It could be using up to 28 litres of wai per day – get it checked out by a plumber. Not sure if there’s a leak? Put a few drops of food colouring in the cistern. If the colouring appears in the toilet bowl without flushing, you have a leak (you may need to wait an hour or two for the food colouring to leak into the bowl).
Find out more about water restrictions on the Wellington Water website.
FAQs
I’ve found a water leak, what should I do?
Please log any leaks using our online Report a Problem form.
What is the cost of the water tanks to Hutt City Council per tank?
The 200L emergency water tanks are purchased and delivered for $121.68 each. Council subsidises the tanks and absorbs associated staff and storage costs.
How long have water tanks been available?
200L Emergency Tanks have been available for sale to the public since 2014 as part of a joint initiative between regional Civil Defence Emergency Management and councils.
How was the Council's water tank chosen?
The Tank Guy Emergency Water 200L tank and kit has been developed as an affordable tank solution to provide a way of capturing and storing rainwater for an emergency event. Once connected to a downpipe, water can be collected before and after an event for basic survival until domestic water supplies are restored. The design was reviewed by The Massey University Roof Water Research Centre and evaluated in a year-long GNS research project - both provided recommendations for improvements which have been adopted.
The overall objective of the 200L emergency water tanks initiative has been to improve household and community resilience to emergencies.
How do we fill the water tanks during a water restriction?
While the 200L Emergency Water tanks are popular during water restrictions, their purpose is to provide an affordable solution to capture and store rainwater for an emergency event. Any tanks connected to a downpipe now will be ready to start collecting rainwater the next time it rains.
Can we pre-pay for a water tank?
Due to demand, water tanks need to be purchased and picked up in person.