Aucklanders have been responding well to Watercare’s ‘Easy does it’ campaign over summer, using about 905 million litres less water than they did the previous summer. However, the dry conditions mean the region’s water storage dams have collectively dipped below 70 per cent full for the first time since August 2021.

Watercare chief operations officer Mark Bourne says the Waitākere and Hūnua ranges – home to the 10 dams that supply the metropolitan water network – have seen less rainfall than normal.

“Our Hūnua catchments, which traditionally supply up to two thirds of Auckland’s water, have received about 20 per cent less rainfall than normal,” explains Bourne. “And our Waitākere catchments, where we have our smaller dams, have received about half the normal rain.”

Today, Watercare received a long-range forecast that signalled dry conditions will continue throughout March, with normal conditions likely in April and May. Winter has the potential to be wetter than normal.

“Currently, our total dam storage is 68.9 per cent, compared to the historical average of 79.4 per cent for this time of year,” says Bourne.

“Given the forecast, we will be extending our ‘Easy does it’ water efficiency campaign and might need to formally activate our Drought Management Plan in early March. However, we’re already actively managing the situation.

“We’ve increased production at our two Waikato water treatment plants and we’ve brought the Pukekohe Water Treatment Plant back into service after it was damaged in the Auckland Anniversary Weekend floods. These actions are slowing the rate of decline in our dams.

“Right across Auckland, our maintenance crews are doing an outstanding job staying on top of leaks. Since the start of December, 14,838 have been reported, and 14,777 have been fixed, leaving a to-do list of just 166.”

“We’ve been thrilled to see Aucklanders are heeding our ‘Easy does it’ message and being mindful of their water use. Right now, our seven-day rolling average demand is 479 million litres per day which is excellent for this time of year. So, our message to the community is ‘thank you’ and ‘keep it up’.”

Watercare’s modelling indicates it’s highly unlikely that dam levels will decline as far as the trigger level for stage one restrictions this year.

“Everyone can track our city’s dam levels easily on our website – the data updates hourly,” says Bourne.

When it comes to being water wise, Bourne’s top tip for Aucklanders is to keep their showers short.

“If everyone reduced their showers by one minute, collectively we would save around 20 million litres of water a day.”

“It’s the small actions people take to use water wisely that make a difference. So far this summer, Aucklanders have used about 905 million litres less than they did over the same period last summer – keep up the awesome work!” says Bourne.

Notes:

• Dam levels: Live data is available on our website. 
   
• Diagram: Water restriction trigger levels set out in our Drought Management Plan. Information about the plan is available on our website.

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