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Summer water restrictions begin in Wellington this Sunday, an annual shift to conserve water as rainfall decreases.
Restriction level one takes effect in Wellington City, Porirua and Lower Hutt on 29 September, a yearly occurrence which coincides with daylight saving, and is already in effect year-round in Upper Hutt and South Wairarapa.
At level one, residents can use sprinklers every second day - even numbered-houses on even-numbered days between 6-8am and 7-9pm, and odd-numbered houses on odd-numbered days.
Handheld watering devices can be used at any time, on any day, so long as they are not left unattended.
Water restrictions in the capital are nothing new. The region was put under level two restrictions - meaning a ban on household garden sprinklers and irrigation systems - for nearly four months between mid-January and early May this year.
At the end of that summer, water regulator Taumata Arowai asked for a "step change" from Wellington Water to avoid the risk of even higher restrictions in future - a problem which was exacerbated by nearly half of the capital's water being lost through leaks.
According to Wellington Water, in winter it could supply up to 220 million litres of water per day, compared to 170 million in summer when it was hot and dry and river levels dropped.
"That might sound like a lot, but due to leaks in our ageing network (which we're working hard on finding and fixing), population growth and the fact that Wellingtonians use on average more water than any other metropolitan region in Aotearoa, our water use adds up fast - getting up to 205 million litres per day in summer and dipping into our stored water," it said on its website.
It pointed out that more rain did not always equal more drinking water, as excess rain could fill rivers with dirt, sticks and debris, making it harder to treat and make safe to drink.
There was also a limit to the amount of water able to be treated and stored.
The region's mayors have previously been cautious about the risk of greater restrictions.
Lower Hutt mayor Campbell Barry told RNZ the region would be facing the risk of water restrictions in summer for years, and Porirua mayor Anita Baker said despite the likelihood of severe water restrictions going down, there would probably be further measures put in place.
