Water restrictions loom if drought continues

The drought rapidly tightening its grip on an increasingly parched Northland may soon force the Northland Regional Council to limit the water taken from the region’s rivers and streams, its hydrologists warn.

Dale Hansen, the Council’s Water Resources/Hydrology Programme Manager, says the Far North, much of the east coast and central parts of Northland are bearing the brunt of three months of ongoing dry conditions.

With just 31mm – or 10 percent of its usual rain – falling there since November, rivers in the Kerikeri area are already at critically low flows and Mr Hansen warns many east coast and Far North areas will be in a similar position within the next fortnight.

“Some major water suppliers and irrigators have already reduced the amount of water they’re taking or have stopped taking it altogether where river or stream flows are too low to maintain compliance with their Regional Council resource consents.”

However, Mr Hansen says he’d like to see all Northlanders saving water where possible and says unless there is significant steady rain – about 100mm over a week-long period – the Regional Council may soon be forced to impose wider restrictions.

“Record low November rainfall, below average December rainfall and dry conditions so far this month has caused river and stream flows to be much lower than normal for this time of year.”

Mr Hansen says the long range forecast is for the unusually dry weather to continue for at least the next two months.

The small amount of rain that had fallen lately had made little difference to the drought conditions and if the long range forecast is proved correct, already struggling water resources are going to be “severely affected”.

He says typically, over the 10-week period from November to mid-January, Northland’s biggest centre, Whangarei, would have received 216mm in rain – but it had actually only received just 78mm.

However, the Kerikeri and Kaitaia areas had fared much worse. Instead of 295mm rain Kerikeri would usually get over the same period it had received just 31mm, while Kaitaia had received just 48mm instead of its usual 216mm.

Ohaeawai, near Kaikohe, had recorded 53mm instead of its usual 248mm and Dargaville 59mm instead of 198mm.

Mr Hansen says in early December Regional Council staff had written to the several hundred Northlanders with resource consents to take water, warning them of potential summer shortages and urging them to closely monitor their water use.

Consent holders range from private individuals taking only a few litres a day to some major users taking hundreds of thousands of litres.

Mr Hansen says the biggest users include horticulturalists, farmers irrigating pasture and District Councils taking water for public water supply; some of the latter already imposing their own restrictions in the form of hose and sprinkler bans in their District.

However, he says there are also hundreds of other Northlanders taking relatively small amounts of water who are not required to have Regional Council consents, but who still need to save water where possible.

“Those taking water for reasonable domestic needs and animal drinking water as a ‘permitted activity’ under our Regional Water and Soil Plan are being asked to consider others in their area and make a real effort to conserve water.”

He says if the drought continues and river flows fall further, all users – even those taking water as a ‘permitted activity’ - may face restrictions.

Mr Hansen says a multi-agency group will meet tomorrow (subs: Friday 15 Jan) to work through a number of actual and potential issues thrown up by the rapidly escalating dry conditions.

“In the meantime, we’re asking all Northlanders to take a close look at their water use, make sure they are not taking more than they need and to ensure what they are taking, they’re using as efficiently as possible.”

Ironically, Mr Hansen says the fine weather has also added pressure on the region’s water resources because of the number of tourists who had flocked here to enjoy it.

He says information on rainfall, river levels and flows can be viewed on the Regional Council’s website via: www.nrc.govt.nz/environment/river-and-rainfall-data

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