Water restrictions in Tauranga have been lifted with immediate effect.

'The change of season has brought cooler weather and more regular rainfall, which means garden water-use is reducing and sprinkler restrictions are no longer necessary,” says Tauranga City Council's City Waters manager Steve Burton.

A sprinkler ban was put in place late January following a steady increase in water consumption, due to an exceptional period of continued hot and dry weather.

Steve would like to thank the community for their support.

'Thanks to the fabulous response from our community we've been able to get through the dry period, water demand has now returned to a manageable level for this time of year.”

When restrictions were introduced, water use dropped drastically. This was a direct result of community members doing their bit at home and around the garden, mainly by turning sprinklers off. Water demand dropped from a peak of about 57 million litres a day to about 48 million litres a day. Average daily water demand for the city is around 39 million litres a day.

However, Steve urges people to continue to be mindful of their water use.

'It's great to be able to lift restrictions, but it's important that people keep thinking about using water sensibly and looking after our environment."

Steve says construction of the Waiāri Water Supply Scheme was underway to help relieve pressure on Tauranga's existing water treatment plants during summer months and to provide for a growing population in future years.

Construction of the Waiāri Water Supply is expected to be completed at the end of 2021.

'Once the Waiāri has boosted our treatment capacity, we will still need to view water as a valuable, finite resource and manage it efficientlt.

'We really want to thank the community, for changing their water-use habits to help us manage our water supply during this time.”

For more information, visit www.tauranga.govt.nz/waiari