Eased Water Restrictions for Gore and Mataura

The Gore District Council has lifted water restrictions for Gore and Mataura after much-needed rainfall overnight.
The towns have been under level 2 water restrictions since late March.

3 Waters Asset Manager Matt Bayliss said there was approximately 15 mm of rainfall overnight. With more rain forecast next week, the Council was able to remove water restrictions.

“However, water flow in the Mataura River remains below 17 cubic meters per second. This means a conserve water notice is still in place for the towns, in accordance with our resource requirements,” he said.

The rainfall has also meant the Pleura Dam’s water level had recovered, allowing the Council to stop pumping water from the Mataura River to supplement Mataura’s water supply.

However, the Council will be monitoring the level of the dam closely over the next few weeks – “it is possible we will need to take water again from the Mataura River”, Mr. Bayliss said.