Taupo District water restrictions lifted
The water restrictions for Taupo District have been lifted. During the particularly dry summer, Taupo District Council was on Alert Level 2 (sprinkler irrigation only every second day) to manage water levels.
As a result of the recent substantial rainfall, the water level in Lake Taupo has increased and is now above the alert level. With rain forecast over the next few days, Council staff lifted the water restriction.
Council Group Manager Operational Services, Gareth Green, says that the Council is thankful to those in the community who made the extra effort to conserve water. "We really appreciate that there were so many in the community who voluntarily conserved water to help us through this especially dry summer."
During the water restrictions, town residents and holiday-makers were requested to use water responsibly, particularly when it came to sprinkler and irrigation systems.
While it is acknowledged that the District is blessed with large fresh water sources with our lakes and rivers, this water is a finite resource as it is used for a large number of purposes throughout the catchment. Additionally, the provision of fresh drinking water that is subsequently used for irrigation purposes costs a significant amount of money to pump and treat, and so the community needs to be responsible with its use.