Tauranga water restrictions remain despite spells of rain

Sprinklers and irrigation systems are banned and watering of gardens can take place by hand held hose, in the cooler hours of day. Photo / File

Level one water restrictions continue to be necessary in Tauranga, despite spells of rain and cooler weather.

Tauranga City Council said concerns remained over persisting low flow levels in the streams that supplied Tauranga's drinking water, causing the council to keep restrictions in place for the foreseeable future.

The council's director of city waters Stephen Burton thanked the community for their efforts in conserving water which had prevented the need for a hose ban.

"However we are not out of the woods yet and need to keep restrictions in place until we reach more consistent flow in our source water streams.

"Stream flows are at their lowest since records began in 1975, rainfall is still significantly lower than an average year and the short spells of rain have done little to relieve the situation. Water restrictions help relieve pressure on these streams," Burton said.

"When using water, we continue to need to ask ourselves if this is a good use of drinking water."

Tauranga City Council continued to closely liaise with Bay of Plenty Regional Council who are responsible for caring for the region's waterways.

Their assessment is that overall conditions had not changed substantially and NIWA was predicting extended dry spells over the next three months, underscoring the need for continued restrictions.

The council said until restrictions were lifted, they asked the community to continue to adhere to the level 1 water restrictions and practice water conservation habits.

Sprinklers and irrigation systems are banned and watering of gardens can take place by hand held hose, in the cooler hours of day - between 5 and 8am and 7 and 10pm.