Water Restrictions & Notices

This page has important notices about the water supply and water restrictions in the Waimakariri District, and what is required of you if there is a water restriction in your area.

20 Mar 2018 5:17pm: Kaiapoi Water Supply Shut Down Notice

The water supply to properties on the northern side of the Williams Street/Smith Street intersection will be shut down on Friday 23 March 2018. The affected properties are shown in the map below and are highlighted within the purple area. Water is expected to be off between 10:00am and 2:00pm to minimise the inconvenience caused.

There is a programmed shutdown at the Smith Street/Williams Street Intersection affecting the Southern Side of Williams Street on Thursday from 1:00pm to 5:00pm, there is a chance you may experience a decrease in water pressure at this time, although we will endeavour to keep this disruption to an absolute minimum.

As the water supply may be restored at any time, please take care not to leave taps turned on. Once the water supply is restored, we advise you to run the cold tap in the kitchen, bathroom, and laundry for approximately 30 seconds each, or until an even flow is achieved. (This is to remove any air that may have entered the pipework).

This shut-down is to allow for a newly installed section of water main at the Smith Street and Williams Street to be connected to the Council’s Water Reticulation System. Works will be carried out by Isaac Construction’s Sub-Contractor.

Map showing location of water shut down

Map showing location of water shut down

Pegasus water supply

The Council is currently testing the Pegasus water supply source wells to determine if the water can be treated using another treatment method, without chlorine. As the testing requires the Council to swap the water supply wells regularly, this is causing minor fluctuations in chlorine that may affect the taste and smell of the water. The testing is short term and should be completed by August 2016.

Plumbosolvency

Some plumbing fittings have the potential to allow minute traces of metals to accumulate in water that has been standing in the fittings for several hours. This applies to both public and private water supplies.

Although the health risk is small, the Ministry of Health recommends that you flush a mugful of water from your drinking water tap each morning before drinking, or after a long absence from your property, to remove any metals that may have dissolved from the plumbing fittings.

The Ministry of Health is recommending this simple precaution for all households in New Zealand, including those on public and private water supplies in the Waimakariri District.

Water restrictions in the Waimakariri District

At times some of the Council’s water supply schemes will be required to conserve water for short periods of time or on a long term basis. During the summer months it is advisable to conserve water to avoid water restrictions.

There are currently no restrictions on any Waimakariri District Council owned water supply schemes.

Ashley Rural Water Scheme

Some properties in the Waimakariri District north of the Ashley River (Sefton/Ashley/Loburn areas) are connected to the Ashley Rural Water Scheme which is administered by the Hurunui District Council. The Hurunui District Council has placed Level 1 water restrictions on the Ashley Rural Water Scheme from 2 December 2015.

Levels of restrictions

The Council has three levels of water restrictions:

Level 1

Properties with a street address that ends with an odd number may only water gardens and lawns when the day of the month is an odd number. For example, a property with a street number of 21 can only water gardens and lawns when the date is an odd number, such as 1st, 3rd, 5th of the month etc.

Properties with a street address that ends with an even number may only water gardens and lawns when the day of the month is an even number.

Level 2

The use of automated watering systems is prohibited at all times. This includes rotary, pop-up, dripper, or other types of watering systems. Hand-held hoses may only be used for watering of gardens.

Level 3

There is a complete ban on all watering systems. Water may only be used for domestic purposes such as drinking and washing and to provide drinking water for stock.