Dust blows from dry paddocks across Richmond Road in Hastings. Photo / Paul Taylor
Hastings District Council has given out 60 warning notices regarding water restrictions during extremely dry conditions.
Council three waters manager Brett Chapman said it had visited and given notices to 60 households in February for breaching water restrictions.
Hastings District Council imposed level 3 water restrictions January 31, urgently askingcitizens to reduce water consumption.
Chapman said Hastings district water usage had since reduced from 55,000,000 litres per day to 50,000,000 litres a day, but the goal is 45,000,000 - the equivalent of 18 Olympic sized swimming pools.
Level 3 restrictions mean handheld watering can only occur between 6 and 8am and 7 and 9pm on alternate days.
The council undertakes surveillance in Havelock North, Hastings and Flaxmere and acts on complaints received.
There have been no fines or prosecutions.
Level 4 restrictions are not expected "unless the hot and dry conditions continue, we don't get any rainfall and/or if the aquifer, rivers and streams drop to drought status," Chapman said.
Napier City Council has imposed level two restrictions where sprinklers and hoses can only be used on alternate days between 6 and 8 am and 7 and 9 pm.
A Napier City Council spokesperson said the current average summer demand on water in Napier City is 37,000,000 litres.
When a resident is found to be ignoring water restrictions NCC first deliver an education pamphlet, if it continues a letter is sent to the address, and finally if the behaviour continues, a water restriction device is installed, the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson did not respond to a request for the number warned for breaching Napier water restrictions.
The dry conditions prompting water restrictions are set to continue as showers during the week won't alleviate conditions.
Hawke's Bay is not considered to be in drought but is extremely dry, Niwa forecaster Ben Noll said.
Noll said there were widespread areas that were drier than normal in Hawke's Bay.
While meteorological drought has not occurred and is not yet expected for the region, "much of the region is very dry or extremely dry", Noll said.
Much of Hawke's Bay has 30-50mm deficit which is about a months' worth of rain lacking in most areas.
It is normal to be running a soil moisture deficit at this time of year but there is more of a deficit this year than normal, Noll said.
For this deficit to cease a months' worth of rain – two to three soaking rainfalls – are required, he said.
"It takes a good couple of big weather events to cause that much rain, it's not just one rainfall which will bring it [the deficit] back to where it needs to be"
Some rainfall is expected in the next few days. Rain in the central North Island has the potential to come over to Hawke's Bay on Saturday.
On Sunday there will be a few showers and drizzle.
By the end of the weekend, rainfall totals throughout Hawke's Bay will range from about 5 to 15 mm depending on location, far from the amount needed.
"It's not going to be the amounts we need to really alleviate those dry soils," Noll said.
Federated Farmers Hawke's Bay President Jim Galloway said the situation was "not desperate but starting to get serious" for farmers.
Farmers are affected as water levels in some wells at farms and dams in the hill country become low, potentially a "very serious" problem.
"It's not as simple as bringing in a couple thousand litres of water a day, that won't cut it on a farm of a few hundred cattle," he said.
Galloway also said irrigators were having to prioritise which crops are irrigated.
"Some of the crops which don't get water are going to be a pretty average yield."
He said there was also a downstream financial effect on supply companies.