Ali McHugh Northland Regional Council last week imposed water shortage directions over catchments in 16 coastal areas in the Whangārei district and seven in the Far North, limiting water use to essential domestic and farm stock needs.
The restrictions, which apply to water taken from bores, springs, streams, rivers and lakes, will remain in effect for 14 days, but will be extended if necessary. A separate water shortage direction for the entire Awanui catchment has been extended for another 14 days, with a new expiry date March 16.
The council's water and waste manager Ali McHugh said many coastal aquifers were reaching their lowest groundwater levels on record, and the longer the drought went on, the worse the situation would become.
She expected coastal groundwater levels to drop significantly, below pump height, in the next few months, increasing the risk of saltwater intrusion or bores 'drying up.'
"If we don't conserve groundwater resources now there's a real risk that there will be water unsuitable for drinking, or even no water at all being available in some areas, particularly those with shallow aquifers," she said.
