Peak summer water usage is expected in February, and Watercare says stocks in Auckland's dams are doing well - so far. Photo: Watercare / Supplied
Auckland's water dam levels are only slightly below average, but demand is expected to peak in the next few weeks.
After a winter where catchments recorded three-quarters of the normal rainfall, December's dam levels were slightly below average, at 85.2 percent.
But in an update from Watercare on Monday, total dam storage was now at 78.2 percent.
Watercare said February historically brings the biggest demand on water levels, and they plan to ensure they can meet peak demand and not average demand.
Peak consumption for summer in 2020 was 549 million litres a day, and while current consumption is about 448 million litres a day, peak summer demand can mean spikes in water use of up to 100 million litres a day.
Watercare called on Aucklanders to "go easy" on water use, including cutting out pre-rinsing for dishes going into a dishwasher, ditching in-sink waste disposers, and especially reminding residents not to leave the hose running - as ten minutes forgotten could mean 150 litres of water down the drain.
Constantly running toilets could also be a culprit for wasted water, losing about 80L of water a day, and Watercare said it had an easy test online, for people to see if their loos had leaks.
Businesses too were asked to do their part, by fixing leaks, monitoring their use and making a water efficiency plan.
In recent days, water mains burst in two prominent locations in Auckland, with geysers of water lost, and traffic disrupted on Queen Street, and near Sylvia Park. Both are now fixed.
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