Self-restraint in water usage is the only way Dunedin will get through the summer without enforcing water restrictions, the Dunedin City Council says.
With potential drought conditions due to the current El Nino, the Otago Regional Council (ORC) is echoing the Dunedin City Council's call for personal water management this summer.
DCC water production manager Gerard McCombie said the council would encourage people to use water wisely when gardening, with fixing leaks, mulching gardens and watering only in the morning and evening among suggestions.
Water control in the garden would be important, especially when people returned from holiday to find their gardens drying out, he said.
ORC chief executive Peter Bodeker said the council was engaging with farmers on the Taieri. He said that in the upper reaches of the Taieri, river levels had been quite low, so farmers had restricted the amount of water they took.
''We're really appreciative of the way farmers will self-manage so that we don't have to intervene.''
He said while the city's intake of water was not as ''precarious'' as the farmers', he still encouraged locals to manage their water as much as possible - sparingly cleaning cars and watering gardens.
''We support [the DCC's] initiatives for people to conserve.''
Mr Bodeker said lower river levels could lead to naturally occurring toxins in the water, which could be poisonous for dogs.
''If the streams are at really low flow . . . it's perhaps wise to keep the dog out of the river.''
The Dunedin area was ''fortunate'' that it was at present not as dry as North Otago and Canterbury, he added.
''We look pretty green.''
Those interested in monitoring river levels can visit www.orc.govt.nz.
- by Greta Yeoman
