Council staff met yesterday to consider introducing tougher level three restrictions, after warning on Friday a week of level two restrictions had failed to reduce consumption by residents in the Waikouaiti, Merton, Karitane and Seacliff areas.
However, it appeared the conservation message got through over the weekend, with consumption dropping on Saturday and Sunday after rising through the previous week, council water operations team leader Gerard McCombie said yesterday.
About 4mm of rain had fallen in the river's catchment area by 3.30pm yesterday, helping boost the flow slightly, up from 110 litres per second on Friday to 115 litres per second yesterday morning, Mr McCombie said.
Otago Regional Council consent conditions require the city council to undertake water conservation measures when the river flow dropped below the rate of 150 litres per second.
Mr McCombie said plans to introduce level three restrictions for the first time had been shelved, but existing restrictions would remain in place and the situation would be reviewed each day.
"As soon as we see the river come up, and it's going to stabilise above that trigger point, we would then be in a position to lift those restrictions," Mr McCombie said.
Level two restrictions prohibited the use of sprinklers, limiting residents to using hand-held hoses, and then only between 8pm and 8am.
