Dannevirke Water Restrictions

Following repairs to leaks, Tararua District Council (TDC) have been filling the impounded supply (raw water storage dam) when river levels allowed. Over recent months this has increased the depth of water from approximately 2 metres to nearly 8 metres. The water is 14 metres deep when full.

However, the Tamaki River is dropping and will soon enter low flows (less than 240 litres per second). At this point TDC will be restricted under a resource consent to take less water than Dannevirke is currently using – placing reliance on the water stored in the impounded supply.

It is likely that we are in for another hot and dry summer, with no guarantee on when the river will consistently be at higher flow, so TDC are implementing the increased water restriction to mitigate risks in late summer. While usage hasn’t been unusually high, it has still been higher than what TDC is allowed to take from the Tamaki River in low flow.

Chris Chapman, TDC’s Group Manager – Infrastructure, says “We have delayed increasing the restriction level until after the holiday break, but are now asking all users to play their part in reducing demand on Dannevirke’s water supply”.

TDC will also be progressing various initiatives to support water supply and demand management, in the meantime TDC needs the support of all users (through conservation) to prevent further issues later in summer and autumn – such as those during the 2019/20 summer. We appreciate that this will be frustrating for many and thank all for their understanding during this time.

Ways to reduce demand on water include:

* Proactively conserving water - check out TDC’s #10wiseways for water conservation here: http://www.tararuadc.govt.nz/.../water-conservation-tips

* Utilising the great public and natural swimming areas in the district, rather than filling cheap plastic pools, such as Wai Splash Community Aquatic Pool (https://waisplash.org/) or local rivers and beaches (https://www.lawa.org.nz/explore-data/swimming)

* Minimising water used for non-domestic purposes, such as for stock – especially extraordinary users.

* Looking for and repairing leaks (including leaking taps) at your property.

* If you spot a leak on TDC’s land, or someone else’s, please call Council’s friendly customer services team on 06 374 4080 or 06 376 0110 (please don’t assume we already know about it).

* If you’re a rural property with an unmetered connection to Dannevirke’s water supply – please let us know as soon as possible.

* If you’re a commercial user, consider reducing truck washing (where it is safe to do so) and minimising other non-essential activities that require water.