Published 30/04/2024
South Wairarapa to move to Level 1 water restrictions on May 1st 2024
Thanks to South Wairarapa residents keeping an eye on their water use, the region can shift down to Level 1 water restrictions on Wednesday May 1st. The shift follows the Ruamahanga River returning to acceptable levels and cooler temperatures contributing to a reduction in demand.
“After 16 weeks at Level 2, we’re happy to say that South Wairarapa residents can return to Level 1 water restrictions,” says Charles Barker, Director of Regulatory Services at Wellington Water. “We want to thank Martinborough, Greytown, Featherston and the surrounding areas for following restrictions during a dry summer that's had an unusually long tail. Your work to keep an eye on your water use has helped make sure there’s enough water to go around for everyone."
A return to Level 1 water restrictions means that people can use sprinklers and irrigation systems on every second day, following the ‘odds and evens’ system. If you live in an even numbered house, you can use sprinklers or irrigation systems on even numbered days between 6-8am and 7-9pm. If you live in an odd numbered house, the same rules apply for odd numbered days.
This helps limit water evaporating in the heat of the day, spreads the load of daily water demand, and helps manage daily supply levels. You can use handheld watering devices any time, on any day, so long as you don’t leave them unattended.
Water restriction Level 1 applies all year round for South Wairarapa, unless higher water restrictions are needed.
Wellington Metropolitan Region (Wellington City, Porirua, Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt) remains at Level 2 Water Restrictions. We continue to monitor the situation and will recommend a shift down to Level 1 as soon as possible.
Editor notes
Wellington Water is owned and fully funded by Wellington City Council, Hutt City Council, Porirua City Council, and Upper Hutt City Council, Greater Wellington Regional Council and South Wairarapa District Council. All six councils are equal shareholders.
Our councils own the water infrastructure in the region, and they task us to manage the infrastructure and deliver water services to our communities.
Wellington Water is governed by a Board of Directors. The Board and our organisation receive overall leadership and direction from the Wellington Water Committee, which are also responsible for appointing members to the Board.
The Wellington Water Committee is made up of representatives from our council owners and mana whenua.