Waiheke residents, bach-owners and visitors to the island won’t have forgotten the water crisis of last summer – or previous summers. And with the recent spell of dry weather, the island’s troubles look set to repeat.
After the 2017 water crisis, Waiheke Local Board and MP Nikki Kaye championed for a plan to answer how the community could prepare and respond to water shortages on the island.
As part of this plan, last year Auckland Council’s Healthy Waters team built two water treatment facilities at the Mātiatia car park and Onetangi sports field. This allows residents to fill their large water drinking containers on-site during droughts (defined as a period of 20 consecutive days with less than 10mm of rain).
In the meantime, Waiheke Local Board Chair Cath Handley says everyone needs to think about how they can save water.
“It’s great to have the new drinking water facilities available but it’s better still to plan and to conserve by habit,” she says.
Water saving tips
Help save water by:
- keeping showers less than two minutes long or consider low-flow shower devices
- flushing toilets only when necessary
- mulching gardens to avoid the need for watering
- turning off taps while brushing your teeth, shaving and shampooing.
If you’re visiting the island, you can also save water by bringing your own water bottles with you.
For those who live on the island, make sure you order from tanker suppliers well in advance – you should be checking your tank to see how low it is (and if you can’t check, ask the tanker suppliers to do this for you).
Visit the Waiheke Resources Trust for more information on conserving water on Waiheke.
