Water restrictions turned off

Last week, Auckland Council unanimously agreed to lift the region’s remaining outdoor water restrictions.

The restrictions, which prevent the use of sprinklers but allow hoses fitted with trigger nozzles – were lifted from Saturday, October 23.

Restrictions were put in place in May last year in response to a record-breaking drought that saw Auckland’s dam levels drop to 42.5 percent.

Those levels are now above normal, which together with new water supply, provides enough certainty that restrictions will not need to be reintroduced in the near future.

Watercare is also increasing supply, which by the first quarter of next year will be up to 104 million litres a day higher than the pre-drought period.

Information provided to Council to guide their decision-making included the long-range weather forecast, consumption data and production volumes at treatment plants.

At this stage forecasters are predicting slightly wetter-than-normal conditions for summer, which makes it highly unlikely that restrictions will be needed again in late summer.

However, mandatory restrictions remain a tool for managing future severe droughts.