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What water restriction level applies to me?

Here’s where you can see what water restrictions apply in your area, and what this means for you.
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Water restrictions

Why do we have water restrictions when it's been raining?

Rain helps us fill the storage lakes during winter, so we can use it during summer when river levels drop. But this storage has a limit – once it’s full, it’s full, and more rain in winter doesn’t change that. We've got to be careful to conserve the water in the storage lakes, and not use too much, too fast. 
 
But heavy rain can be just as bad as not enough! We’re only able to take water from the rivers when they’re above a certain water level. When there’s short bursts of heavy rain, it can fill rivers with dirt, sticks and debris. This makes it harder to treat (make safe to drink) and risks blocking the pipe and tunnels that supply the treatment plants. This means that sudden downpours are much less helpful than they seem. 
 
Currently, the two storage lakes (the Macaskill Lakes, at Te Mārua) store up to 3.35 billion litres of water – enough to supplement supply for 2 – 3 months in summer.  

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Learn all about water restrictions here

What’s the point of water restrictions?

Wellington’s daily water supply has a limit, as the treatment plants can only supply so much. If demand exceeds what the treatment plants can supply there’s a risk that the water levels in the storage reservoirs across the region are drawn down too low, causing water quality issues and in an extreme scenario even depressurising areas of the network. This can be dangerous as it increases the risk of contamination of drinking water, and boil water notices may need to be issued to stop people getting sick. This means we have to be very careful to manage the daily water supply and demand, and don’t use too much. That’s where water restrictions come in. They help everyone understand how they can best manage their personal water use, so there’s enough to go round for the necessities. Level 1 splits outdoor water use between odd and even houses, to spread the load of daily water demand. This means people can water their gardens regularly without everyone using a lot of water all at once. It also reduces waste by restricting watering to the morning and evening, when water is less likely to evaporate in the heat of the day. Level 2 makes sure people are watering their gardens only when they really need to, with no sprinklers or irrigation systems, and only watering gardens by hand. Level 3 comes into play when we need to take serious action, and all residential outdoor water use must be stopped. We know that people put a lot of hard mahi and love into their gardens, so consider using grey water to water your garden – just not your vegetables, or any plants you’re planning on eating. Level 4 means we’re in a significant water shortage. On top of stopping all outdoor water use, we must reduce indoor use. This could include 2-minute showers and reducing laundry to one load per person, per week.
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Can I water my vegetable garden under Level 3 and 4?

Under Levels 3 and 4 there is a ban on all outdoor water use. However, we appreciate that vegetable gardens are a vital source of food for many households. Watering of vegetable gardens is permitted using a watering can or bucket. This helps reduce unnecessary water use and to keep water used to a minimum. Please restrict your water use to only what is needed to sustain your vegetable garden, and use the watering can or bucket before 8am or after 7pm to minimise evaporation and make the best use of the water for your vegetables.
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How do water restrictions affect my business?

We know businesses are keen to play their part to reduce the risk of tighter water restrictions - so we’ve created some simple guidelines to help you reduce water use and continue to operate under each water restriction level. These guidelines are recommendations only, and since water use varies from industry to industry and even business to business, we know it’s not a ‘one size fits all’ solution. That’s why it’s key for each business to look at the ways they use water, and make sensible choices to make sure it’s as efficient as possible. If you’re keen to learn more, click the link below. Please note that each local council has specific by-laws and the power to impose specific restrictions as required. For more information on your council’s by-laws, please reach out to them directly.
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Water Restriction Guidelines for Businesses and Organisations

Why is it going to take this long to fix the plant?

The plant sustained serious damage, across a large area. More information on the damage can be found in the damage report, available on our website. We absolutely appreciate that every day the plant is offline makes a difference, so we’re working hard to bring the plant back into operation as quickly as possible. It’s important to be clear that this is an immense task. There are nearly 30 separate projects that form the full Moa Point recovery, taking place on a constrained site. Equipment needs to be manufactured and shipped. We’re taking every effort to move as quickly as possible, and as part of the recovery we have restarted and accelerated the major EIC project. This was already underway prior to the flooding, and we’ve had the benefit of having a lot of the equipment already in storage or being manufactured, shaving months off the recovery timeframe.  

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