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Go easy on water
Christchurch has one of the highest quality natural water
supplies of any city in the world. Our water is purified naturally in underground aquifers and is
not treated chemically. But as the city grows and demand for water increases, we are
reaching the stage where we could be using more than is
available. Eric van Toor, a Council City Water and Waste Planner says
that if, through drawing too much off, we reduce the level and
pressure of water in the aquifer, contaminated water could take
its place. Christchurch would then need to bring in water which
would be less pure, and costly for ratepayers. This is International Year of
Fresh Water and, according to
the World Health Organisation,
less than 1 per cent of the
world’s fresh water is readily
available for human
consumption. So Christchurch
is fortunate, but its water
supply can’t be taken for
granted. “Here in Christchurch we
have fantastic water, on tap,” says Mr van Toor. “But it won’t
always be that way, unless we look after it.” Most people have little idea of how much water they use or
where it goes. Outdoor use, for example, tends to be much
higher than we think — 25% of all household water is used
outside the house. On average, over summer each Christchurch
household puts 1000 litres of water on their garden. There are many ways to reduce the amount of water we use
outdoors, including: |