Water saving tips
We encourage you to conserve water at all times. Restrictions are now in place.
Domestic residents on the city's water supply - we're at water restriction alert level 2. Sprinkler systems are only permitted between 6-8am. Keep hand-held hosing to a minimum and don't waste water.
It's essential that commercial and industrial users limit outdoor water use and actively conserve water to avoid further restrictions.
Here's some easy water savings tips in and around your home:
Saving water outdoors:
• Water only what your plants need, over-watering or inefficient irrigation systems just waste water
• If your irrigation system is on automatic timer - turn it off.
• Avoid watering the garden during the heat of the day.
• Plant smart - plant different varieties of hardy, drought resistant plants, especially on steep slopes where there's a lot of runoff. Succulents, cacti and desert plants are easy care and provide interesting shapes and textures for your garden.
• Mulch or compost your flowerbeds. Organic material on the soil will help trap-in moisture, prevent weeds and provide important nutrients to your plants.
• Mow your lawns on the highest setting - let your grass grow a bit longer. This lets the roots grow deeper and adds surface area to the grass blades so they hold more water and don't need irrigating as much.
• Put a bucket in the shower to catch the water. Use it to water pot plants. You'll be surprised how much water you'll collect.
• Sweep - don't hose. Sweep paths and driveways rather than hosing them down.
• Cover your pool to reduce evaporation.
• Use a bucket to wash your boat, bike etc - only use the hose to rinse off.
• Wash your car, boat, bike on the grass and water your lawn at the same time.
In the laundry:
• Load up the washing machine, make sure every load is full. Saves 125 litres per full wash.
• Use the washing cycle with the least rinses - if you must wash small loads, use the lowest water level on your machine.
• Use the "suds-saver" feature if your machine has one. It reuses warm, soapy water.
• Repair leaky taps, hoses or fittings - that goes for sinks, basins and outside taps too. This can save up to 32,000 litres per month. Watch a video on how to repair a leaking tap
In the bathroom
• Turn the tap off while cleaning your teeth or shaving - saves 10 litres per minute
• A 3 minute shower uses less than half the water needed for a bath - saves 80 litres per shower.
• Check your toilet for leaks. Put a few drops of food colouring into the toilet cistern. If it appears in the bowl without flushing, you've got a leak that needs fixing. Leaks waste up to 32,000 litres per month. Watch a video on how to fix a leaking toilet
• Fix any leaking taps.
If you're planning to renovate or build
• Install water-saving shower heads or a flow restrictor - saves 30 litres per shower.
• Install a flush saver device or dual flush to your toilet - saves up to 10 litres per flush.
In the kitchen:
• Rinse and peel vegetables in a bowl or sink half-filled with water, instead of under a running the tap - saves 10 litres per minute.
• Wait until you have a full load before starting your dishwasher, use the eco-setting - saves 125 litres for each wash.
• Only run the waste disposal unit when it's full - saves 10 litres per minute
• Rinse dishes in a sink filled with water, rather than under a running tap - saves 20 litres
• Keep a jug of drinking water in the refrigerator instead of running the tap water until its cold - saves up to 2 litres per glass
• When boiling vegetables, use just enough water to cover them and use a tight fitting pot lid - better still, use the microwave.
Thanks to Porirua City Council for sharing these videos