Total ban on garden watering for Masterton

A total ban on garden watering is now in place for Masterton after the Waingawa River reached its lowest flow in more than five years.

Masterton District Council has imposed its tightest water restriction in an effort to protect the health of the river, the source of Masterton’s drinking water.

Three Waters Operations & Transition Manager Steve Watt said Masterton’s drinking water supply was secure but action was required.

“There is no suggestion we will run out of drinking water, but our consent with Greater Wellington Regional Council requires us to take action to conserve water if flows fall below 1,100 litres per second (l/s). Flows in recent days have gone as low as 950l/s, not seen since 2019.

“This is the first time a total watering ban has been necessary since 2020. We appreciate this is hard on gardeners and will aim to ease restrictions as soon as conditions in the river improve.

“Rain is currently forecast for early next week and we will respond as soon as flows increase sufficiently.”

ENDS