I'm a

Water restrictions

Find out when and why water restrictions are used.

Auckland's water supply is stable. No restrictions are in place.

Why do we use water restrictions?

While water sources like rivers and aquifers are more resilient to drought, all water sources rely on rainfall. During extreme dry spells that cause our dam levels to drop, we put in place water restrictions to ensure we are all using water wisely. When we’re in a drought, we don’t know when it’s going to end, so restrictions are a smart and proactive way of conserving water and minimising wastage. Restrictions are focused on limiting outdoor water use to ensure there is enough water for residential and business customers.


How do we decide when to use them?

Before making a recommendation to Auckland Council, we consider a number of factors including current dam storage, expected water demand, the short-term weather outlook, and the likelihood of needing to go back into restrictions. Seesawing in and out of restrictions would create confusion and is something we try to avoid.

Our Drought Management Plan details the water restriction trigger levels used for metropolitan Auckland and non-metropolitan Auckland, specifically Wellsford and Helensville/Parakai. Trigger levels tell us when to enter water restrictions and when to move up or down a level.

The trigger levels

Photo of Mt Eden and Auckland CBD skyline

Metropolitan Auckland's trigger levels

Metropolitan Auckland’s trigger levels are based on the total storage in our water supply dams.

Photo of Hoteo River

Wellsford's trigger levels

Wellsford’s trigger levels are based on the flow in the Hoteo River.

Photo of shops along Helensville's main street

Helensville and Parakai's trigger levels

Helensville/Parakai’s trigger levels apply if the Sandhills groundwater source is unavailable.

Learn more about the different water restriction stages

Water is precious
Preparing for a drought
Stage 1 residential restrictions
Stage 1 business restrictions
Stage 2 residential restrictions
Stage 2 business restrictions
Stage 3 residential restrictions
Stage 3 business restrictions
Stage 4 restrictions