Demand for water in Oamaru broke records on Tuesday and Wednesday, as the heat went up in North Otago.
On Tuesday, the Oamaru water treatment plant processed 14.7 million litres of water but that record was smashed on Wednesday, when 15.1 million litres were processed.
The Oamaru supply extends to Kakanui, Enfield and Weston.
The previous record was not far off 14.7 million litres, but it was unusual to have such huge demand in November, Waitaki District Council water facilities contracts engineer Michael Goldingham said.
''Our peak is normally at the end of January and through February - it's almost to clockwork that the last four days of January is our peak.''
On Tuesday, the temperature in Oamaru hit 28degC and on Wednesday, 27degC.
Such demand so early in the season backed up Otago Regional Council advice that care needed to be taken as the dry weather was forecast to continue.
''We are definitely looking at other supplies ... and making contingency plans,'' Mr Goldingham said.
''It's part of our normal operation to do that, but it's obviously revved up a little bit earlier this year,'' Mr Goldingham said.
No water restrictions had been issued anywhere in the district yet, but the council was monitoring supply ''pretty closely''.
''Oamaru will be fine - that [record] demand is about three-quarters of what we can produce,'' he said.
''We would like to get the message out there, though, that although it is all right to use as much water as possible, we don't like people wasting it; the likes of dripping taps, leaking tanks and that sort of thing.''
