Northland dry as lack of rain continues

The Northland region is currently experiencing a prolonged dry period due to the low rainfall received over December 2016. The Far North and the east coast from the Bay of islands down to Mangawhai are extremely dry.

Most rain gauges recorded 20 to 40mm of rain which was less than half their average rainfall for December. The lowest recorded was 11mm at the Kerikeri gauge at the Bay of Islands golf club, followed by the Marsden Point gauge at the oil refinery which recorded 14mm of rain.

Most rivers across the region have reached mean annual low flow, with those in the Bay of Islands, Kaihu and Bream Bay catchments being particularly low.

Regulatory Services Group Manager, Colin Dall says, “It is important that water take consent holders ensure that they are complying with their consent conditions and are not wasting water.  They should also check their water reticulation systems for leaks.”

All other water users need to be aware of any water restrictions in their areas and comply with those restrictions.  General water restrictions for the Whangārei and Far North districts can be found on the website:   http://bewaterwise.org.nz

Any suspected illegal water takes should be reported to the regional council via its environmental hotline:
0800 504 639.