Wellington region to move to level two water restrictions

Thursday, 11 January 2024

There were long queues for council subsidised water tanks earlier this week.

Wellington, Porirua, Hutt City, and Upper Hutt City will move to level two water restrictions at midnight next Wednesday.

Level two means a ban on irrigation and sprinklers, and gardens only being hand-watered, Wellington Water said on Thursday.

The decision was made due to “a very high demand”, peaking at 95 million litres on Tuesday, it said.

The region’s water treatment plants could only treat and supply a certain amount of safe drinking water on any given day. The increase in demand and the ongoing high number of leaks was putting pressure on the network and the ability to supply enough safe drinking water.

As of January 8, Wellington was considered an area with “very dry to extremely dry conditions”, according to NIWA.

“We expect demand to increase further in the coming weeks without intervention, with temperatures increasing and more people returning from their holidays elsewhere,” Wellington Water said.

Brief periods of rainfall in the weather forecast were unlikely to relieve the situation, it said.

“Councils in the metropolitan region have made the decision to put in place level two water restrictions now to help reduce water demand and reduce the risk of having more severe, longer water restrictions later on,” said Laurence Edwards, Wellington Water chief advisor drinking water, network development and delivery.

The restrictions only applied to residential properties but it asked businesses across the region to take steps to reduce water usage where possible.

A very high demand on the water supply in Wellington as temperatures soared this week, led to the decision to move to level two restrictions, Wellington Water says.

“We are working with our client councils to provide guidance for non-residential customers, including on the restrictions that may apply at level three and four. If we all do our bit, then we can hopefully avoid further restrictions,” Edwards said.

As temperatures soared this week, the capital’s residents waited for hours for a new supply of 200-litre tanks to arrive at Wellington’s Tip Shop.

About 100 people queued for up to four hours to get one of the 70 tanks delivered from their Feilding manufacturer on Tuesday.

According to NIWA, Wellington was among the areas in the North Island with the driest soil and was deemed a “hotspot” – regions experiencing significant soil moisture deficit.

“Persistent hotspot regions have the potential to develop into drought,” it said.

As of January 8, Wellington was considered an area with “very dry to extremely dry conditions”. Other areas were Marlborough, parts of Canterbury, interior Otago, and Stewart Island.

Continuous water leaks have also put pressure on the water supply.

Wellington Water’s update for this week said there was a 100% chance that level two water restrictions would be in place this summer.

At level one, sprinklers could be used only every second day.

There was a 70% chance of level three restrictions, meaning absolutely no outdoor water use, less indoor use, and businesses being asked to be “pragmatic and responsible”.

Level four restrictions currently had a 33% chance of being imposed. This stage means a significant reduction in indoor water use — by up to 50% — no outdoor use, and businesses having to “significantly reduce“ water use.

Edwards said Wellington Water was continuing to find and fix as many leaks as possible within the funding and resources available.

It continued to monitor the situation but in the meantime, encouraged people to reduce their water usage.

“Small changes such as taking shorter showers (no more than 4 minutes), not running the tap while brushing your teeth, and only doing full loads of washing can all make a real difference.”