Level 3 water restrictions reduced

Remaining Level 3 water restrictions applied to the Council’s Kaitaia and Kawakawa-Moerewa supplies will be reduced to Level 2 from today.

The move follows significant levels of rainfall experienced across much of the district this week, combined with more stable water flows recorded in Kaitaia’s Awanui River and Tirohanga Stream near Kawakawa.

General Manager – Infrastructure and Asset Management, Andy Finch, says this is good news for both communities, which have been operating under Level 3 water restrictions since January. However, he is reminding households and businesses to keep conserving water where possible.

“We are encouraged by more stable flows in these two waterways and by recent rain. However, autumn is traditionally a dry period for the Far North and we know that flows will quickly fall again if we do not see more rainfall in coming days.”

He says it is hoped that a tropical cyclone forming off the north-east coast of Australia will track south and pass near to the North Island to deliver more rainfall next week.

The latest change means that Kaikohe, Kaitaia and Kawakawa-Moerewa are the last remaining communities to have water restrictions applied to their supplies. All are now on Level 2 restrictions banning the use of irrigation systems and sprinklers.