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Latest Update on the drought in Auckland

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Latest Update on the drought in Auckland

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Well, it has rained a lot lately in New Zealand but there has not been enough rain to help fill the dam. We still need to save water as much as we can. Check out the Auckland dam. The water level is getting lower!

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The Biggest Drought for 25 Years in Auckland. This is a BIG Problem!

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The Biggest Drought for 25 Years in Auckland. This is a BIG Problem!

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Since the beginning of 2020 Auckland has hardly had any rainfall at all.  Now there is a drought.  The water supply in the dams has dropped so low that now there is not a lot of water left.  We need to conserve what water is left in the dams.

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Drought:  When there is hardly any rainfall over a long period of time, there is drought. Drought affects plants, animals, and people
Water restrictions: We are asked to not use water for  activities that are not essential.  For example watering the garden
Rainfall: The amount of rain that falls over one year
Conserve: Trying hard to save water

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Here is how you can help in the drought:
1.  Keeping your showers short (four minutes or less)
2.  Run your washing machine and dishwasher only when they’re full
3.  Don’t wash your car
4.  Don’t water blast your house
5.  Don’t hose your lawn
6.  One thing we can still do is keep washing your hands to combat COVID-19.

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Time to shorten your showers to 4 minutes only!

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Time to shorten your showers to 4 minutes only!

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Let's look at the dams and compare the water levels.

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Why do we have a water shortage in Auckland?

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Why do we have a water shortage in Auckland?

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These are some of the reasons we have water restrictions in Auckland City.
1.  There has been a big drought in parts of New Zealand including Auckland
2.  Lots of people have come to live in Auckland and they all need to use water
3.  Watercare who are in charge of our water supply have not done their job

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Mandatory water restrictions will begin for Auckland this month as the city grapples with the worst drought in its history.

After a two-hour meeting of the Auckland Council's Emergency Committee this morning councillors voted unanimously to bring in Stage 1 restrictions from May 16, banning outdoor use for households and parts of the commercial sector.

"We are not yet in a crisis, but we are in a critical situation," said Mayor Phil Goff.

It is the first time the city has restricted water use since the drought of 1993/1994.

Auckland was experiencing its worst drought on record. January to April were the driest in the city's history, said Goff.

"We have had a long, hot summer with less than half of our normal rainfall, which means our storage dams have fallen to around 46.5 per cent, well below the 76 per cent average for this time of year."

For households, watering gardens, washing cars and waterblasting properties will be prohibited unless for health and safety, emergency or biosecurity reasons.

Stage 1 will also prohibit the watering of sports fields, plants or paddocks unless an irrigation system is fitted with soil moisture or rain sensors, and require car washes to operate only if they use recyclable water.

"I want Aucklanders to remember that if we don't get it right and save water now, we will have to implement harder restrictions on the future and no one wants that," Goff said.

"I hope Aucklanders will understand the need to adhere to these measures, but if we have to, we have a range of enforcement options available for those who choose to ignore the restrictions."

The council gave Watercare the power to impose fines of up to $20,000 for people who break the rules, the maximum penalty under the Water Supply and Wastewater Network Bylaw 2015, although they would largely be taking an "education approach".

READ MORE:
* Auckland water shortage: Outdoor use set to be banned, fines of up to $20,000
* Covid 19 coronavirus: Auckland household water use increasing under lockdown, restrictions threatened
* Auckland water crisis: A ban on watering gardens and washing cars set to come into force next month
* Water shortage: Auckland needs twice as much rain to top up dams

None of the potential three stages restrict water for drinking or sanitary use in households, or operations that use water for health, safety, emergency and biosecurity measures.

Non-residential and commercial restrictions at Stage 2 would be similar, but would also ban all watering of sports fields.

"The mandatory restrictions will highlight water conservation overall. By everyone saving a little, we can save many millions of litres of water and avoid the need to move to more draconian restrictions under stage 3, should winter and spring not bring enough rainfall," Goff said.

Waitākere councillor Linda Cooper, the liaison councillor for Watercare, said enforcing the restrictions would take a graduated approach, with education as the first priority - escalating to prosecution "only if there are significant or repeated breaches".

"Aucklanders understand the need to conserve water during this time, and we are hoping that people will voluntarily restrict activities such as watering their gardens and using waterblasters without the need for enforcement," she said.

The measures follow voluntary restrictions on outdoor water use in response to a severe drought that has reduced the city's storage dams 46.5 per cent full - far lower than 66 per cent at this time last year.

Watercare has also asked Aucklanders to shorten showers to four minutes, but this will not be mandatory.

Water restrictions have been flagged for the past couple of weeks as a few rain showers have hardly made an impact on dam levels.

Niwa meteorologist Ben Noll said Auckland has been particularly hard hit with more than 77 consecutive days in drought or severe drought, according to the New Zealand Drought Index.

Noll said the weather forecast from May to July is for near or below-normal levels of rainfall in Auckland.

The mandatory restrictions follow a scramble by Watercare to boost the city's dwindling water supply.

Watercare is taking close to its daily limit of 150 million litres from the Waikato River and is upgrading its water treatment plant alongside the river to take a further permitted 25 million litres a day when the river is above median water level. The upgrade is due to be completed in August.

A bore at Pukekohe, which had water quality issues and was replaced with piped water, is being brought back into service with additional processing units to ensure it meets water drinking standards for the rural town of 25,000 people.

The other short-term project is reinstating the Hays Creek Dam in the Hunua Ranges, which was decommissioned in 2005.

Long-term, Watercare is looking at doubling the amount of water from the Waikato River, reusing wastewater and desalination. Goff said Watercare has also applied for resource consent to take 100m litres of water a day from the Waikato River between May and September if the river is above median flow, which he hoped would be granted in the next few months.

However, to take a further 200m litres of water a day from the river required a resource consent, which was lodged in December 2013, he said.

The application is before the Waikato Regional Council and sits in a queue with 94 consents in front of it, which have to be considered first.

Goff said he has asked Environment Minister David Parker to change the Resource Management Act so consents can be heard in terms of priority.

"That is important given the drought conditions," he said.

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Auckland water shortage: Council approves mandatory restrictions, outdoor use banned and fines up to $20,000

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Mandatory water restrictions will begin for Auckland this month as the city grapples with the worst drought in its history. After a two-hour meeting of the Auckland Council's Emergency Committee this morning councillors voted unanimously to bring in Stage 1 restrictions from May 16, banning outdoor use for households and parts of the commercial sector.

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But wait - the shower isn't the biggest problem!  There is soooo much water that goes into making our food.  Check out this video to show why Mrs S shouldn't eat so many yummy steaks  : (  

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But wait - the shower isn't the biggest problem!  There is soooo much water that goes into making our food.  Check out this video to show why Mrs S shouldn't eat so many yummy steaks  : (  

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Are you one of those people who suffers through 10-second showers in the name of water and energy conservation? Grist and the planet thank you for the nice gesture - every drop counts. But it turns out really saving water has more to do with what's on your plate than what's coming out of your faucet. With prolonged and extreme droughts cropping up left and right, thanks to YOU KNOW WHO ( pssssst anthropogenic climate change), small changes at your table can actually have major impacts on water savings and our food system at large.

Watch the video for more to wet your appetite.

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Watch how much water goes into your food

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Are you one of those people who suffers through 10-second showers in the name of water and energy conservation? Grist and the planet thank you for the nice gesture - every drop counts. But it turns out really saving water has more to do with what's on your plate than what's coming out of your faucet.

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Let's make a map of the water cycle in Auckland.  We will need to make:

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Let's make a map of the water cycle in Auckland.  We will need to make:

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A river

A mountain

The sun

Clouds

A lake with an island

The dams

Trees to make a forest

The city - the Sky Tower

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Create a cut paper map with award-winning illustrator Christian Robinson. In this episode of Making Space, Robinson demonstrates how and why making a map can help us find our way.

Doubt, uncertainty, and feeling lost can be constant companions on the road to creativity. On today's Making Space, let's make a map that reminds us that it's okay to feel lost sometimes, and encourages us to keep going and ask for help when we need it.

Robinson is also giving away a copy of a book that he illustrated, the one that inspired this video: Just in Case You Want to Fly by author Julie Fogliano. Comment on his Instagram post (not the video) while that contest is open.

Previously on TKSST: Exploring moods and creating rain-themed stamp art with Christian Robinson.

Then watch these related videos:
* Helen Ahpornsiri's intricate pressed fern illustrations
* Making art with everyday objects: Christoph Niemann
* Hand cutting an intricate paper leaf stencil
* easy paper card pop-up tutorials for kids
* Irving Harper: Works in Paper

Bonus: More videos about maps and books.

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Creating cut-paper maps with illustrator Christian Robinson | The Kid Should See This

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Create a cut paper map with award-winning illustrator Christian Robinson. In this episode of Making Space, Robinson demonstrates how and why making a map can help us find our way. Doubt, uncertainty, and feeling lost can be constant companions on the road to creativity.