Auckland drought: Restrictions to remain until at least August

Aucklanders will be living with modest water use restrictions until at least August, and bans could return next summer, depending on how the region emerges from the record 2020 dry-spell, Stuff reports. Watercare is preparing to ask its council owner to remove limits on outdoor water use, but only if rain forecasts, the state of the region’s storage lakes, and a new supply boost all eventuate as hoped. Watercare said Aucklanders had significantly cut their water use this year, and the biggest supply boost – another 50 million litres a day from the Waikato River – should be available from August.