From today, 31 March, the ban on using garden sprinklers in Wellington, Upper Hutt, Lower Hutt and Porirua is lifted.

The four cities have been under a sprinkler ban that was introduced in mid-February due to particularly dry conditions.

Thanks to the response from the community, and the change in season, the region’s storage lakes are now in good shape.

This means restrictions can now be eased to allow for the limited use of garden sprinklers and irrigation systems. This is a good position to be in, but it’s important that people keep being responsible with water usage.

Watering restrictions are still in place, these allow the use of a single sprinkler or irrigation system, between the hours of 6-8 am and 7-9pm only on alternate days according to your house number.

Sprinkler use is permitted at:

· odd-numbered houses on odd dates (1st, 3rd, 15th etc)

· even-numbered houses on even dates (2nd, 4th, 18th etc)

only between the hours of 6-8am and 7-9pm.

This restriction level will remain in place until further notice, or the end of Daylight Savings (5 April 2020) – except in Upper Hutt, where this restriction remains in place all year round.

We’d also like to remind people that the easing of restrictions is a good time to check and refill any emergency water storage containers, or to install an emergency tank if you don’t have one yet.

Tips for good watering practice:

• Use a trigger or wand to ensure water goes only where it’s needed

• Concentrate watering on the roots of plants not the leaves

• Use mulch to keep moisture in and weeds out

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