Hose away to your heart’s content now

The Far North District Council has lifted the water restrictions that banned the use of garden sprinklers and other unattended irrigation devices in the South Hokianga and Okaihau over most of summer.

Restrictions were imposed in the South Hokianga in December in an effort to protect ‘drought-sensitive’ water sources, but that officially changed last week thanks to a wet summer reducing demand and consistently high water flows downstream from the Opononi/Omapere and Rawene/ Omanaia intakes.

Okaihau’s restriction was lifted in response to a fall in consumption. High demand of 175 cubic metres per day and lower than usual water levels had caused concern, but consumption had fallen to 145 cubic metres per day, well below the average required to stay within the Northland Regional Council’s annual consented take of 60,000 cubic metres.

The council thanked the communities affected for helping to conserve water over summer.