In this section

Important notices about the water supply and water restrictions in Selwyn District, including what is required of you if there is a water restriction in your area.

Temporary restrictions in place

  • NO formal restrictions due to high demand for water are currently in place for Council water supplies in the Selwyn District.
  • Council will be reviewing water use throughout summer for mandatory restrictions. If demand for water increases in light of receding water levels or reduced rainfall in the region, formal water restrictions are likely to be introduced.

Our current water use

  • Water use by Selwyn households is very high – the average household uses over 1,000 litres per day (by comparison, typical consumption for a New Zealand household is around 675 litres per day).
  • Water is not an unlimited resource and we want to encourage Selwyn households to use water in a sustainable way.
  • The best time to irrigate lawns is from 9pm to 6am, as water has the opportunity to soak into the ground and be retained there. Irrigation during daytime, during hot or Nor-West weather is wasted as a lot of water evaporates.

    • For further information on water supply and water demand, please read our Questions and Answers.

    Check our Water conservation page for tips to be water wise

Levels of Restrictions

We have four levels of restrictions:

LevelActions

Level 1

  • No watering of lawns by irrigation, hose or sprinklers, is permitted between the hours of 6am to 9am, and 4pm to 9pm

  • Garden watering (not lawns) by hand is permitted at any time

  • There is a requirement to decrease demand especially during peak periods.

Level 2
  • No watering of lawns or gardens, by irrigation, hose or sprinklers, is permitted between the hours of 6am to 9am, and 4pm to 9pm. (Note: If watering during the day we recommend choosing a cooler day to reduce evaporation).
  • Garden watering (not lawns) by hand, such as watering can (not a hose), is permitted at any time.
  • There is a requirement to decrease demand especially during peak period.

Level 3

  • No watering of lawns is permitted.
  • No watering of gardens, by irrigation, hose or sprinklers, is permitted.
  • Hand garden watering (not a hose) is permitted at any time, but total ban on domestic sprinklers and irrigation.
  • There is a requirement to decrease demand.

Level 4

  • Total ban on all external non‐essential use of water.
  • Consumers may carry water using a bucket, watering can or similar to maintain plants as necessary.