Update - 2 April 2015

The Whakatāne River flow has steadily fallen this week, dropping from 18 cubic metres per second on Monday to about 11 cubic metres per second on Thursday. That reduced flow rate means salinity is again an issue at the Whakatāne Water Treatment Station intake, with water now being drawn from the emergency intake one kilometre upstream. If the flow falls below 10 cubic metres per second, it’s likely that restrictions on the use of hoses and sprinklers will be introduced for Whakatāne and Ōhope consumers.

Water consumption in Whakatāne and Ōhope has averaged about 6,350 cubic metres a day since Monday, which has allowed reservoir storage to be maintained at a comfortable level. Consumers are asked to continue their voluntary conservation efforts until further notice.

Update - 23 March 2015

Increased river flows generated by Cyclone Pam have been short-lived, with the flow in Whakatāne River reducing from 27 cubic metres per second in the middle of last week to just 12.8 cu.m/sec on Monday morning.

That reduced flow has seen the return of salinity issues at the Whakatāne water treatment station, requiring the reactivation of the upstream emergency intake. Until the river flow is consistently higher, water conservation measures will remain in force in Whakatāne and Ōhope. Consumers are asked to conserve water use wherever possible to ensure that reservoir storage can be maintained at a safe level to provide for daily consumption and emergency firefighting use.

Average daily usage over the past week has averaged just under 6,700 cubic metres per day – a little higher than for the previous week. The present ‘voluntary conservation’ water use guidance may have to be replaced by formal restrictions on hose and sprinkler use, if the river flow falls below 10 cu.m/sec.

Update - 2 March 2015

Daily water consumption in the Whakatāne and Ōhope water supply schemes over the weekend was steady, at about 6,800 cubic metres a day. The Whakatāne River flow increased to 18 cubic metres a second on Friday, reflecting rainfall in the upper catchment, but dropped back quickly over the weekend and was just over 13 cubic metres per second on Monday morning.

That emphasises the need to maintain the voluntary water conservation savings made to date by the community, as our water treatment staff continue to battle the combined effects of low river flow and salinity at the treatment plant intake. A move to formal restrictions on hose and sprinkler use remains likely if the river flow falls below 10 cubic metres per second.

Update - 26 February 2015

Daily water consumption in Whakatāne and Ōhope has averaged just under 6,700 cubic metres for the past three days, maintaining the reductions achieved over the past week through voluntary conservation efforts. Reservoir storage has fluctuated between 68 and 77 percent, emphasising the important role conservation is playing in delaying the need for formal restrictions on hose and sprinkler use.

After the rain at the beginning of the week, the Whakatāne River flow peaked at 14.2 cubic metres per second on Wednesday, but had dropped back to 13.8 cubic metres per second on Thursday. At that flow rate, salinity at the water treatment station intake remains an almost constant issue, which is being managed by the use of the emergency intake a kilometre upriver.

Whakatāne District Council staff will continue to monitor the water supply situation closely and are asking the community to continue to conserve as much water as possible. Water use restrictions are likely to be introduced if the river flow falls below 10 cubic metres per second.

Update - 23 February 2015

Water consumption in the Whakatāne and Ōhope schemes averaged about 6,800 cubic metres a day over the weekend, but the salinity associated with very high tides meant the Whakatāne District Council’s water treatment station team was not able to increase reservoir storage levels. The raw water intake at the treatment plant is significantly limited by the ongoing salinity issues, and that situation won’t change until the river flow returns to its normal range. Most of the water need to supply the communities’ needs is being drawn from the emergency intake, located about one kilometre upriver from the treatment station.

The river flow dipped from 12.4 to 11.4 cubic metres per second between Friday and Saturday, but yesterday’s rain saw the flow increase to 12.2 cubic metres per second this morning. Restrictions on the use of hoses and sprinklers are likely to be introduced if the river flow falls below 10 cubic metres per second, but in the meantime, the voluntary conservation call still applies.

Update - 19 February 2015

Consumption in the Whakatāne and Ōhope water scheme areas over the past two days has averaged just over 6,500 cubic metres a day, which is some 10 percent lower than last week’s average usage. While that is a very positive gain, voluntary conservation measures will need to be maintained because the low river flow and salinity issues affecting water treatment capacity will only be resolved by a sustained period of wet weather.

The Whakatāne River flow has increased slightly as a result of the rain earlier this week, rising from 10.9 cubic metres a second on Tuesday to 11.8 cubic metres a second this morning. Salinity continues to limit the water intake at the treatment station, and operators are utilising the upstream emergency intake to maintain the flow of raw water required to manage reservoir storage levels.

The water restriction status for Whakatāne and Ōhope remains at level one – voluntary conservation. Restrictions on hose and sprinkler use are likely to be introduced if the river flow falls below 10 cubic metres per second.

Update - 16 February 2015

Water consumption in the Whakatāne and Ōhope water scheme areas has fallen marginally, but still averaged close to 7,400 cubic metres a day between Friday and Sunday.

Over the weekend, the Whakatāne River flow fell to 11 cubic metres per second, at which level, salinity around high tides is a continuing and significant issue. Council water treatment staff are managing the situation carefully, with most of the water extracted from the river now coming from the emergency intake a kilometre upstream from the treatment plant. If the river flow dips below 10 cubic metres per second, which could be just a matter of days away if there is no significant rainfall, it’s highly likely that formal restrictions on hose and sprinkler use will have to be introduced.

In the meantime, Whakatāne and Ōhope consumers can help by making voluntary reductions in their water usage. Some simple water conservation tips include:

• Bucket-wash vehicles and boats and don’t use a hose
• Avoid watering lawns
• Water gardens only when absolutely necessary
• Flush toilets only when necessary
• Take short showers and don’t use baths
• Don’t fill or top-up swimming pools until the situation improves.

Update - 12 February 2015

The Whakatāne River flow continues to drop and is currently just over 11 cubic metres per second. At that flow rate, salinity is a continuing issue and our water treatment staff are working around that by using the upstream emergency intake almost continuously. Spring tides due from the middle of next week will elevate the salinity problem, so it’s essential that we accelerate the conservation effort to ensure that water treatment and storage can keep pace with community needs.

Consumption in Whakatāne and Ōhope over the past two days has averaged about 7,300 cubic metres a day, while reservoir storage has remained steady. Ideally, we would like to see that consumption level drop by at least 10 percent.

The need to introduce formal water restrictions will be monitored closely over the coming days, and any voluntary reductions which the community can achieve will play a key role in that decision-making process.

Water restriction status signs are being installed in high-profile locations in Whakatāne and Ōhope to remind residents of the need to conserve water during the dry summer months.

Whakatāne District Council Infrastructure General Manager Tomasz Krawczyk says voluntary reductions over the coming weeks may help to avoid the possibility of formal restrictions on hose and sprinkler use later in the summer.

“The river flow is steadily falling and although the current situation is not critical, salinity is now reaching our water treatment intake on high tides, which restricts the amount of water we can extract at the Water Treatment Station,” he says. “We’ve previously addressed that by extending our emergency intake a further 500 metres upstream and increasing the pumping capacity, but if the river level continues to fall, it’s possible the salinity situation could worsen to a point where it also affects water quality at the emergency intake.”

While there is no immediate threat, Mr Krawczyk says it’s prudent to start voluntary water use reductions, which is the first stage of the Council’s three-stage restriction process. If the situation worsens, stage two would see the current blue ‘voluntary conservation’ signs replaced by orange signs indicating that hoses and sprinklers can only be used on alternate days, between the hours of 6 am - 8 am and 6 pm - 8 pm. The third stage, marked by a red water restriction status sign, would see a total ban on all hose and sprinkler use.

“We hope that restrictions can be avoided, but that’s entirely dependent on the river flow and the contributions households and businesses can make through voluntary reductions in their water usage,” Mr Krawczyk says.

Simple conservation tips include:

• Bucket-wash cars or boats, where possible
• Avoid refilling or topping-up swimming pools
• If you know you have leaking taps, fix them now
• Flush toilets sparingly
• Avoid using your bath and cut your shower time down as much as possible
• Turn taps off when the water is not being used (while cleaning teeth, or scrubbing vegetables, for example).

Regular information will be provided to keep consumers up-to-date with consumption trends and the water treatment and storage situation.