Less than 50% chance of Wellington moving to tighter water restrictions

Thursday, 22 February 2024

The chance of Wellington moving to tighter water restrictions is now less than 50%, but with more than a month of hot, dry weather forecast, Wellington Water warns it’s no time to get complacent.

The probability of Wellington entering Level 3 water restrictions has now dropped to 43%, while the chances of heading to Level 4 has dropped to 17%, according to data from Wellington Water this week.

This remains steady from similar risk indications the week before. Wellington is currently under Level 2 restrictions, meaning there is a ban on using sprinklers and irrigation systems.

While the region had likely passed the period of highest risk, the next five weeks were expected to be hotter than average.

“We’ve done well to hold steady at Level 2, but Level 3 could happen quickly,” Wellington Water warned.

“Hot and dry conditions are forecast for the next 5 weeks, with only limited rainfall.”

It noted river levels were dropping and Wellington Water had begun to supplement its supply with water from the storage lakes.

With the number of leaks increasing steadily, Wellington Water earlier warned of a one in four chance of an “acute” water shortage over summer.