24 February 2020

Weekend rain in the Tararua Range has lifted the flow of the Waingawa River, enabling Masterton District Council to ease garden water restrictions for the next few days to sprinklers on alternate days – houses with odd numbers on odd days, evens on evens.

Handheld hoses may be used at any time during this period.

The council appreciates the water conservation efforts of residents in what has been the driest summer for at least 10 years, but the dry season is not yet over.

Forecasts do not indicate much rain for the next two weeks, which means further restrictions are likely in that time.

The council tries to be as flexible as possible, to enable gardeners to care for their plants, but the river can fall quite quickly to a level where tighter restrictions are required.

It’s important people keep an eye on the council website, social media pages, and the billboard on SH2, so they know what restrictions are.

Information on water restrictions and conservation tips is available on our water page.