Worst drought sees water restrictions early
A North Island drought – deemed the worst since 2013 – is still having an impact six months on, with water redirections coming into force a month earlier than normal.
The Matamata-Piako District is still feeling the effects of the drought that dried up the district earlier this year.
Dam levels continue to drop at a faster rate than 24 months ago; rivers are close to record lows; catchment levels sit on average; the soil remains dry and the risks still stand.
To prevent further destruction over the coming months, a district-wide water restriction has been enforced a month earlier than normal.
Its neighbouring district, Thames-Coromandel, who was also severely impacted by the drought, didn’t remove water conservation signs like they normally would in winter due to the drought’s impact.
Following a drought, Covid-19 and the need for continued restrictions we left them up over winter, senior communications officer Michael Dobie said.
The Thames Valley has a permanent total watering ban in place.
The summer drought was so bad, the effects were felt up in the region until autumn. MatamataPiako, Hauraki and ThamesCoromandel struggled with a lack of autumn rainfall and according to NIWA’s New Zealand Drought Index, the Waikato district spent 61 consecutive days in drought.
Matamata-Piako District Council’s water and wastewater manager, Karl Pavlovich, said the council had no choice but to start water restrictions.
He said recent rain wasn’t enough to get the district back on track.
‘‘It may seem like we’ve had a lot of rain . . . but we’ve only seen bigger larger storms, less frequently,’’ Pavlovich said.
‘‘There’s still some soakage to be happening in the soils.
‘‘There isn’t as much water under the ground, which means we don’t have much recharge in our rivers or in our aquifers, so we still have risks and we still need to be careful with our water.
‘‘We’re just coming off a significant drought, that does mean there are still risks out there in terms of supply.’’
In February/March, the Morrinsville Te Miro Reservoir on Waterworks Rd dropped around 210mm each week. Now, Pavlovich said, dam levels are dropping ‘‘at a faster rate now than what it did 24 months ago.’’
In a November report to council, chief executive Don McLeod said last year’s severe drought was rated as a 1 in 200-year event for the Waikato.
Council is ‘‘still going through the consenting for Lockerbie, including acquiring land for treatment plant we have been actively speaking with Fonterra to ensure we can if necessary access their bore supply later in the season.’’
In November, NIWA advised temperatures for Northland, Auckland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty were ‘‘very likely’’ to be above average.
Rainfall is expected to be normal, but soil moisture and river flows would be below normal.
‘‘We still need to be vigilant around the resource and efficient,’’ Pavlovich said.
‘‘Council is looking into leak protection and repair, different approaches to running the plant, engaging with industry partners early, but it is a joint effort across every water user.