Water restrictions may tighten before Christmas for Napier and Hastings; dams low for some farmers

Cornwall Park in Hastings. Photo / Paul Taylor

Dry conditions across Hawke’s Bay are resulting in low dam levels for some farmers, reduced stock for others, and the possibility of tighter water restrictions for residents ahead of Christmas.

Hawke’s Bay has been experiencing high temperatures and prolonged dry spells, apart from the odd downpour, such as what hit mid-last week.

Councils are keeping a close eye on water restrictions given the dry conditions and lack of rain in the forecast over the next 10 days.

The Napier City Council and the Hastings District Council work closely in setting water restrictions for the neighbouring districts, which are currently at level two (restrictions on sprinkler and hose use).

NCC executive director of water Russell Bond said a decision would likely be made this week around whether those restrictions need to move up to level three (ban on sprinklers) before Christmas.

Meanwhile, the Wairoa District Council has no water restrictions in place at present for its residents, while Central Hawke’s Bay only moved to level two less than two weeks ago.

Bond said water-use rates tended to increase in dry and hot weather, including due to people keeping their gardens watered or using water to escape the heat.

He said Napier’s resource consent for water meant it was limited to a certain volume from the Heretaunga aquifer, which supplies the city’s water.

He said aquifer levels were “good at the moment” but supply issues could arise toward the back end of a dry summer if use rates were not kept in check.

Parents can still use water play equipment such as children’s sprinklers under the current restrictions, but are asked to be mindful of use rates.

Federated Farmers Hawke’s Bay president Jim Galloway said the region was well down on average rainfall for the year.

“For most of Hawke’s Bay, it is drier than average. We are only at 60% to 70% of normal rainfall for January 1 to now.”

He said bursts of rain in November and last week had helped, such as keeping patches of green grass green for longer.

However, he said, some farmers were dealing with low dam levels such as in Pōrangahau and other coastal areas of Central Hawke’s Bay, while many others had reduced stock levels to a more manageable level given the lack of grass growth.

He said, fortunately, prices were good at present for farmers, so those who were selling some stock early, such as lambs, were still getting reasonable prices.

“It has made it easier to make that decision to sell something, because you are not taking a mass financial haircut,” he said.

“You’re still making a profit [albeit] nowhere near what you might have been able to make.”

He said it was better for farmers than last year, which had a combination of a dry year and low prices.

He said lamb survival rates had also been good during spring with no volatile weather, which was positive.

As for the forecast, the Earth Sciences NZ Seasonal Climate Outlook for December-February suggests Hawke’s Bay can expect normal rainfall during summer and “above or average” temperatures. Many other regions have been forecast to have “normal or below” rainfall during that time combined with above-average temperatures.