Concerns Aucklanders' hard work saving water could be undone as restrictions ease for businesses

September 26, 2020

Mayor Phil Goff says it’s too early to know how Auckland’s summer will shape up.

With the weather warming up and daylight saving starting tomorrow, there's concern Aucklanders' hard work saving water could be undone.

Next month, the Auckland Council is set to ease some restrictions for businesses after months of heavy heavy water restrictions.

Cleaning business owner Israel MacMillan called it "really good news."

“There was a few phone calls to some colleagues that obviously have shared the pain in the last probably three or four months,” MacMillan said.

He forked out over $80,000 on new equipment to transport non-drinking water around the city, keeping staff employed.

“I've probably got enough water tanks to last me a lifetime, to be honest.”

Commercial cleaning services will be allowed to tap into on-site water supplies in just over two weeks.

However, Auckland Council has warned residents against becoming complacent.

“We'd like to lift the ban but it's too early to do that until we know what the summer weather patterns are going to be,” Auckland Mayor Phil Goff said.

"As we get into daylight saving, the day is longer," Watercare CEO Raveen Jaduram added. "If it's a beautiful sunny day, that's when we want to do our spring cleaning."

Aucklanders are being water conscious, hitting well below the allowed usage of 410 million litres a day.

A new reservoir is helping make the difference, storing some of the water processed from the Waikato River.

The reservoir can store up to 50 million litres of water. In the summer, Aucklanders typically use the same amount in just two and a half hours, however.

“We all loved last summer, it was the best summer I can remember in a lifetime, but we paid the price in terms of much lower lake levels,” Goff said.

It’s unclear how this summer will look before the lakes are filled up.

SHARE ME

More Stories