Water Restrictions Lifted

With a wet week behind us and the promise of more rain to come, Invercargill City Council is lifting its unattended domestic hosing and sprinkler ban.

Restrictions were put in place on Saturday, 19 March when the Ōreti River flow, which had been in the low range since December 2021, dropped to just above 4 cubic metres per second, the point at which Council must apply water conservation measures in order to protect the health of the river system.

Council Group Manager Infrastructure Erin Moogan said rainfall last week and further anticipated rain heading into Anzac weekend was expected to keep the Ōreti River flowing well above the low-flow rates first experienced in January.

“Together with cooler weather and the increased expectation of rain as we head into winter we can feel reasonably confident that the Ōreti will be getting back to normal,” Ms Moogan said.

“We really do appreciate the sacrifice and extra effort made by our community to help keep our river healthy,” she said.