The Taieri River catchment is not ''out of the woods'' yet and recent rainfall has provided only a week to a fortnight's grace, Otago Regional Council chief executive Peter Bodeker says.
A lack of rainfall in the district during January meant water levels in the Taieri had dropped below their minimum flows, to the point the regional council was going to stop all water takes from the river and tributaries on Wednesday to protect its ecology.
However, rainfall on Monday night and Tuesday increased river flows, so the council withdrew the planned notice.
Since then a southwesterly weather pattern has brought showers to many places in the region but no significant rainfall.
Council chief executive Peter Bodeker said the council's executive team was meeting daily to assess the situation and yesterday decided not to go ahead with a full water stop notice.
''We're still seeing the effects of reasonable rainfall. We'll keep monitoring closely and we're ready to shift if we have to.''
But the council had reinstated the water shortage notice on three water takes on the Taieri River above Waipiata, as flows dropped to minimum flows again.
Kyeburn irrigators were continuing to roster their water takes, as the river was right on its minimum flow, as it was at Sutton, which was restricting water takes for Strath Taieri farmers.
If the flows started to drop below minimum flows and continued dropping, there was still a possibility the full water stop notice would be implemented, he said.
''We're not out of the woods. What the rain did was delay things by a week or two.''
Federated Farmers Otago president Stephen Korteweg agreed the rainfall gave affected farmers a chance to take a breath but did not solve the problem.
''It's affected different areas in different ways. As usual, the ones who need it the most got the least.''
He knew of one Strath Taieri farmer who had sent 900 sheep off to the freezing works this week.
''Some people are still under quite a bit of pressure.''
This summer's weather was a reminder to all farmers of the need to look at their systems and assess the need for storing water and surplus feed to lessen the impact of events like this year, he said.
