While Easter showers may have kept some Coasties indoors, the rain is proving a welcome gift for Auckland’s water supply.

Early forecasts tipped up to 100mm of rain across the Hūnua and Waitākere dam catchments over the long weekend—offering a timely boost to dam storage levels.

Sharon Danks, Head of Water, says the recent rain event earlier this month pushed dam levels up by four percentage points.

With soil moisture back to normal, the latest downpour is expected to have a similar impact.

“If this rain delivers as predicted, we could see another solid uplift in dam levels,” she says.

That’s good news heading into the cooler months.

Long-range forecasts are pointing to wetter-than-normal conditions for April and May, and water managers are feeling optimistic.

“We can confidently say we won’t be needing to put mandatory water restrictions in place in the next few months,” Danks says.

Dam levels are still near the ‘preparing for drought’ threshold under Auckland’s Drought Management Plan, so water efficiency remains important.

Aucklanders are being encouraged to continue saving water until the end of the month, with the city’s average daily use currently tracking at 442 million litres—right where it needs to be.

Watercare is also drawing extra supply from the Waikato River to help meet demand.

So while the wet weather may have changed a few Easter plans, it’s playing an important role in protecting the region’s water future.

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