Keep saving water, Auckland! Restrictions in place until April

Auckland households face water restrictions until the end of the month despite hitting savings targets.

Aucklanders' daily water consumption has dropped to 382 million litres, well within the necessary range of 400 million litres or fewer.

Watercare congratulated residents but warned that if savings did not continue, partially treated water might need to be released into the system and then people would have to boil water.

Watercare said it was going to take weeks for silt in the Hunua dams to settle after last week's devastating storms sent torrents of dirty water into the system. Until then, the region's largest water treatment plant at Ardmore remained under pressure.

Water clarity at the plant was still 100 times worse than it should be.

People were asked to reduce their water use by 20 litres a day until the end of March and avoid non-essential use such as washing cars or water blasting.

Aucklanders have been warned if significant savings are not made Watercare may be forced to release partially-treated water into the system forcing people to boil water.

The water savings apply to everyone in the region as far north as Waiwera and as far south as Pukekohe.

Water consumption steadily dropped during the weekend since a plea was made on Friday by authorities to cut back.

Watercare tips to save water

1. Cut your shower time by two minutes: Estimated saving: 16 litres.

2. Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth. Estimated saving: 4 litres.

3. Only run your dishwasher when it's full.

4. Only run your washing machine when it's full.

5. Use the half-flush on your toilet.