The last call goes out to householders today to fill empty soft-drink bottles with tap water, to ensure they do not go thirsty through the millennium changeover.
Water authorities are urging the public not to wait until tomorrow, as that is when they will top up their own reservoirsfrom catchment dams, to guarantee the maximum possible supply in case of Y2K-related problems.
The Waitakere City Council says filling the reservoirs is a precautionary measure to provide the maximum time to fix any faults without significant interruption to water supply.
Council spokesman John Brew said yesterday that because his city's water was gravity-fed from reservoirs to households, supply could be maintained for at least a day even without electricity.
"However, if people fill their Y2K water supplies on Friday, they could be busy emptying the reservoirs at the same time the council is trying to fill them up."
Auckland City supplier Metrowater is urging people not to run baths to store water.
Three litres a person for each of the first three days of the New Year should be ample.
Spokeswoman Sharon Buckland said filling 200-litre bath tubs would create unnecessary demands, not just on water supplies, most of which are also gravity-fed in her company's network.
If the millennium changeover appeared to go smoothly, and everyone pulled out their bath plugs at the same time, a strain would be put on sewage disposal systems.
Despite a large reported demand for bottled mineral water, Mrs Buckland said what came out of the taps was better for long-term storage as it was sterilised by chlorine.
It was best stored in clear soft-drink bottles in freezers, where chlorine took longer to break down and where it could keep other contents cold if the power went off.
But the stored water should be boiled before drinking.
