Despite the recent rain, the forecast for dry weather over the next two weeks has persuaded the Tasman District Council to maintain the stage two water rationing in the Waimea catchment from Monday.
Council’s Dry Weather Taskforce convenor Dennis Bush-King says that stage two rationing (a 35 per cent cut in consented takes) continues for those permit holders in Reservoir, Waimea West, Upper Confined, Delta, Upper Catchment and Golden Hills zones. Stage one rationing (a 20 per cent cut in consented takes) continues for those permit holders in the Lower Confined and Hope Aquifer zones.
Permit holders in the Moutere Surface and Powley Creek zones need to be aware that a cease take may come into effect in a week or two if the dry weather continues. Moutere Western and Eastern zones are showing signs of stress and rationing may be implemented in those zones in a couple of weeks also.
The Riwaka River has hardly benefited from the approximately 6mm of rain that fell there and is now below its consultation flow. Riwaka water users operate a rostering scheme to share water as the flow drops.
“The weekend rain was welcome but not enough to lift the current restrictions,” Dennis says. “Rainfall varied across the Waimea Plains from 12mm to 19mm.
“There was a lift in the Waimea River but little reaction in the groundwater levels. With little, if any, rain forecast for the next fourteen days we are taking a cautious approach.
“The need to conserve is still very real if we are to get through summer without further rationing,” Dennis says.
The ban on watering lawns remains in force in Richmond, Mapua, Ruby Bay, Hope, Brightwater and Wakefield and their rural extensions. However hand held hosing can occur on odd and even days corresponding to the house street number to water productive gardens only.
Customers on the 88 Valley Rural water scheme, Redwoods Rural water scheme and the Dovedale Rural water schemes are required to conserve water where ever possible and restrict hosing to late evening on odd and even days corresponding to the rural number to water productive gardens only
