Wellington Council’s Parks, Sport and Recreation team adjusts to water restrictions
With water usage in Wellington at an all-time high, Council’s Parks, Sport and Recreation team which manages 58 sites across the city is having to adjust to water restrictions.
Leaky pipes, forecasted El Niño conditions, a growing population and a higher amount of water usage compared to other parts of New Zealand has seen Wellington lose more water than ever before. This impacts not only residents and businesses, but the city’s green spaces.
The Wellington region has moved to level 2 water restrictions, which means that no residential sprinklers or irrigation systems can be used. However, commercial use is still permitted at level 2, providing appropriate care is taken.
Wellington Council Parks, Sport and Recreation team relies on these systems to keep them in good condition for Wellingtonians to use.
After dealing with drought conditions over the years, the team are prepared to adjust to the restrictions as they increase by shortening the frequency of watering these green spaces, which includes 18 irrigated lawn areas, 21 irrigated sports fields, 17 clay cricket blocks, 2 croquet greens and a golf course. There are also rain sensors on selected irrigation controllers which will override and stop automatic watering if it is raining.
Sports fields Team Manager Gus Anderson advised that as restrictions increase, the number of days that watering will occur will be limited and only use the amount of water necessary to keep the grass alive and usable.
Anderson shared “If we stopped watering our sports fields, all traditional sports would be impacted with limited availability of safe playing surfaces for the summer and winter seasons. Work to replace the grass wouldn’t start until restrictions are lifted and weather conditions are right to carry out renovations.”
Wellington City Council Operations Manager William Melville says that it’s a fine line between restricting water use and preserving the grass at sports fields and event spaces so they can still be used across summer and into winter.
“We can’t simply turn off irrigation, because if the grass dies we’d be staring down the barrel of a hefty renovation fee to remove the dead grass, reseed, water, and fertilise the space for regeneration. That’s over $1,000,000 worth of renovation.”
Alongside the restrictions on sports fields, Council will stop using irrigation on its bedding displays, green walls, and collections in the Botanic Gardens.
Wellington Gardens Manager David Sole says that the team are keeping a careful eye on their water usage while still protecting rare and threatened plant species.
Sole adds “Our staff have been asked to be careful about how and where they use water and to regularly check the systems for overspray and leakage. There will be some hand watering of newly planted trees which is essential for their long-term establishment. If there’s low rainfall, we may lose floral displays, plants in planter boxes, and green walls across the city and we’ll be considering planting more drought tolerant species over the winter months.
“Our Gardens are also home to very rare and threatened plants, especially some of the native species, which could set back their recovery to the wild by years or may even be lost forever if we don’t keep them watered. The nationally critical Pimelia actea is from only one small population that remains known in the wild and in the Botanic Garden the Kaikomāko Manawa Tawhi Pennantia baylisiana of which there is only a single plant remaining in the wild."
Council will also be turning off two water features in Queens Park, Thorndon that rely on mains water.
Water features that use reticulated water (ones that don’t need additional water added daily) — like the Bucket Fountain and Kelburn Park fountain — will keep running until the water quality deteriorates and will then be emptied rather than refilled with fresh water.
Image. View of the gardens at the Wellington Botanic Garden ki paekākā. Credi: City of Wellington
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