Severe weather conditions from Wednesday 30 April to Friday 2 May may impact the network
Severe weather conditions may impact the network

Due to severe weather conditions forecasted from today, 30 April until Friday 2 May, there may be impacts on the network, 

Heavy rain increases the chance of excess stormwater entering the wastewater network, which it doesn’t have capacity for. This means there is a higher risk of wastewater overflows during wet weather events or emergencies such as major power cuts.

Our operations team are checking known risk areas and working to ensure that the stormwater network will be running as smoothly as possible. 

 

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Knowledge Hub / The Network / Water conservation / Water conservation tips

How to save water at your place

Our wai is precious - so it's important to understand how much you're using, and how to conserve it.

Want a better idea of how much you and your whanau are using at your place?

Click here to find out with our Water Calculator (best viewed on a computer).

Want to learn how to conserve water inside and outside your home? Check out our water-saving tips below.

Household water saving tips

Bathroom

Did you know water use in the bathroom makes up about 20 to 30% of household water use? Here are some easy ways to cut down. 

Shower 

  • 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). 

 

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. 

 

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. 

Gardens and outdoors

Around 25% of household water use is done in the garden – reduce use and maximise results with these handy tips! 

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.  

 
Sprinklers & irrigation:  

  • IN: Deep soakings once or twice a week. OUT: Frequent light water sprinklings. Deep soakings encourage feeder roots to grow and help your plants survive short term drought conditions. 

  • Use drippers or directional sprinkler heads. These make sure water is going where you want it, not wasted on your paths or fences.