The Gore District Council is urging Mataura residents not to get too complacent about water use just yet with recent rainfall not enough to sustain water levels in the town’s reservoir.
3 Waters Asset Manager Matt Bayliss said the water flow into the Pleura Dam has dropped off quicker than expected after the rainfall a couple of weeks ago.
“There was a significant increase in flow into the dam but it has dropped over the weekend so we are struggling to keep up with demand.”
The Council eased water restrictions from level 4 to level 2 last week, and stopped emergency pumping from the Mataura River for Gore and Mataura.
Mr Bayliss warned that water restrictions may need to be lifted, and emergency pumping resumed, in Mataura if there was no decent rainfall over the next few days.
“We will be closely monitoring the dam levels and water consumption during the week.”
Commercial water tankers have not been allowed to take water from the town’s supply since last month. This would continue for the foreseeable future, Mr Bayliss said.
The water level in Gore’s wells was holding up.
“We will continue to closely monitor it but do not expect to have to increase water restrictions in Gore for the next few weeks.”
Meanwhile, water supply to the Otama Rural Water Supply Scheme was restored on Saturday (10 February) after a temporary pipeline was dropped into place by helicopter.
The 253 scheme users have been without water since 2 February when the Pyramid Bridge collapsed, destroying the main pipeline.