606 water-saving breaches in 16 days

Rules to conserve water amid Auckland’s worst drought on record have been ignored 606 times in just 16 days. Dam levels increased slightly to 44.5 per cent yesterday after heavy rain over the long weekend but are still 30 per cent below normal. Aucklanders washing cars, water blasting driveways and businesses water blasting properties are the main culprits. Each person found to be breaching restrictions could be fined up to $20,000. The most breaches were recorded in the first few days of restrictions. Over the past week, Aucklanders have used an average of 400 million litres of water a day. The region has received less than half its normal rainfall since the start of a drought in November 2019. In February, the region marked 47 consecutive days with less than 1mm of rain, which is the longest dry spell on record. Water shortages have led to bans on outdoor water use.