Hose ban lifted in Bay of Plenty town - other restrictions remain in place

Restrictions have been lifted for hand-held hoses, although the sprinkler ban remain. Photo / Gettys

Community water conservation efforts in Te Puke have been so effective that water restrictions have been lifted for hand-held hoses, although the sprinkler ban remains.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council's Utilities Manager Kelvin Hill thanked residents for heeding the council's call to conserve water use and said the reduced demand had allowed reservoir levels to stabilise.

However he cautioned that dry conditions remained and there was no rain on the horizon, so there was still the need to be very careful with water use – and sprinklers were still not allowed.

Other water areas in Western Bay (Central and Western Zones from Te Puna to Waihī Beach) continued to be on high alert to conserve, but no restrictions were in place.

"We appreciate that many of our residents are already doing their bit to conserve water. Let's continue to do so – but with even more focus on how we use every drop," Hill said.

Meanwhile, Tauranga City Council's water restrictions remain in place.

A spokeswoman said there was currently no plan to remove restrictions and they would need to be confident that the dry weather was "firmly behind us" before considering.

She said the continued to monitor water demands and weather closely.

Although Rotorua Lakes Council had not imposed water restrictions, the council would consider it if water usage peaked and the dry weather continued.

Manager of the council's three waters services Eric Cawte said water storage reservoirs continued to be maintained at good levels, and weekend water consumption was down due to the rainy weather.

"Although we are not currently contemplating water restrictions, it is an option if consumption becomes too high."

For more information on how to conserve water click here.

For quick tips on summer water conservation click here.