The first water restrictions of the 2021-22 summer in Tasman District are due to come into effect on Monday as high temperatures and a steady wind bring increasingly dry conditions.

Tasman’s Dry Weather Taskforce had its first meeting of the season on Tuesday to assess the situation.

Taskforce convener Dennis Bush-King said it was expected the dry conditions and increased water demand would result in a drop to trigger levels by Monday in the Wairoa and Waimea rivers along with the Moutere and Upper Motueka areas.

Given the low soil moisture levels, increased irrigation needs and indications of “a long tail” of dry weather ahead, it was necessary to move to stage one rationing in several water management zones, Bush-King said.

READ MORE: * Nelson on hotspot list for potential drought * Dry Weather Taskforce sets Tasman water restrictions * First water restrictions of the season to come into force in Tasman * First water restrictions flow, fire ban to take effect in dry Nelson-Tasman region

From Monday, that stage one rationing – a 20 per cent cut in consented takes – is to apply in the Upper Catchment, Reservoir, Waimea West, Delta, Golden Hills, Redwood and the Upper Confined Aquifer zones on the Waimea Plains along with the Moutere Eastern and Western Groundwater zones and the Motupiko, Rainy, and Tadmor water management zones.

The Wai-iti zone was also affected by dry conditions, but water would be released from the Kainui Dam later next week.

Water users in the Lower Confined Aquifer Hope gravel area, would have another week before rationing was likely.

“Imposing stage-one restrictions now is in line with our approach to managing water levels,” Bush-King said. “We could do with a good dose of 50mm of rain in the right place, but this does not look likely and indications are that dry conditions could run through to April.”

“Phase A” restrictions were also due to come into force for urban water users in Richmond, Māpua-Ruby Bay, Brightwater, Wakefield, and Hope areas, along with their rural extensions. Those restrictions also applied to Nelson residents living adjacent to Champion Rd whose water came from the Richmond supply scheme.

Under the urban restrictions, the watering of grass or lawns is not permitted. Watering decorative and productive gardens is permitted using a handheld hose with trigger nozzle or time-limited water system.

Residents were urged to conserve water where possible and try to water gardens early in the morning or late at night to prevent undue wastage.

Filling a pool is prohibited under the restrictions. However, topping up a pool is permitted.

Phase-A restrictions would also apply to water users on the Dovedale supply.

Bush-King encouraged people to conserve water, adding that hints were available on the Tasman District Council website.

Some permit holders had been slow submitting water meter returns and the council “will be taking a firm line on requiring this information”, he said.

News of the first planned water restrictions comes the day after the Waimea Rural zone of the Nelson-Marlborough Fire District went into a prohibited fire season.

Fire and Emergency NZ said under a prohibited fire season, the only allowable fire types that could be used safely were gas-operated appliances, charcoal barbecues, pizza ovens, chimineas and cultural cooking fires. All of which should be operated under conditions detailed on checkitsalright.co.nz.

Nelson-Marlborough district manager Grant Haywood said the fire danger levels within the forests and grasslands had now reached the threshold where direct controls needed to be implemented to reduce the risk of a fire starting.

“Hot summer days coupled with very little or no rainfall around Nelson-Tasman during January make for a great summer holiday,” Haywood said. “Unfortunately, this also means the district is drying out and the fire risk is increasing every day.”

All fire permits in the Nelson, Tasman, Golden Bay, Lake Rotoiti and Murchison areas were suspended. Anyone who had permitted open fire over the past month was urged to recheck the burn pile to ensure any hot embers had been fully extinguished using water.