Water usage on Sunday was similar to the same time last week, before the notice was in place, the Waitaki District Council said in an update yesterday.
Residents and businesses on the Oamaru water supply were urged to only use water for ‘‘essential needs’’.
During the weather event the council was unable to pump water into the supply due to its turbidity, leaving the stored water at Ardgowan Dam as the only available source.
The conserve-water notice was issued when only two days’ worth of water remained.
‘‘The treatment plant has also been running at a reduced rate so we can continue providing safe, compliant drinking water without placing unnecessary pressure on the plant,’’ the council said yesterday.
Until dam levels recovered, the supply remained vulnerable if there was another weather event, it said.
‘‘Household and business water use has not dropped significantly’’ despite the notice.
‘‘Most of the recovery so far has come from temporarily turning off the Hamnak pipeline [on Thursday], with yesterday’s [Sunday] use similar to the same time last week before the conserve notice was issued.’’
The Hamnak pipeline, which supplies communities south of Oamaru (Kakanui, Maheno, Herbert, Hampden, Waianakarua and Moeraki), was restarted on Saturday after being switched off on Thursday.
Customers on this part of the network had restricted supplies and should keep three days of water on hand, the council said.
The conserve-water notice could be lifted later this week or early next week.
A state of emergency for the Waitaki district was in place for three days last week after it was declared last Monday in the wake of the flooding.
The district has now entered a ‘‘recovery transition period’’ — due to last 28 days.
