Water restrictions in place for Dannevirke residents

Dannevirke's water was largely being supplied from water stored at the impounded supply. Photo / Paul Taylor

There had been warnings for days asking Dannevirke residents to minimise their water use.

Last week, Tararua District Council warned that due to the heavy rain in the area, the water in the Tamaki River was turbid and they were using water from the impounded supply.

Messages had gone out asking people to conserve water, with suggestions on what to do, but it wasn’t enough.

A council spokesman said on Wednesday that ‘alternate day’ restrictions would be implemented “effective immediately”.

Dannevirke residents can now only use hoses on alternate days.

That restriction meant hand-held hoses could only be used on alternative days - for example, houses with even street numbers can only use their hoses on on even-numbered days.

He said the Tamaki River, which supplied Dannevirke’s water, had been heavily impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle, with “very high flows, debris and turbidity levels”.

“This means that we have been largely operating off stored water from the impounded water supply.”

With the district now on a heavy rain watch over the next 24 to 48 hours, the town may have to operate solely from the impounded supply.

Residents were again asked to reduce their water use or the council may have to implement higher water restrictions.

“Council would like to extend a sincere thank you to residents for your co-operation and patience,” the spokesman said.