Residents in Masterton have been asked to conserve water as the district's rivers drop to low levels.
The Waingawa River supplies the North Island town's water. Its flow rate has dropped below 1300 litres per second, which according to the Masterton District Council, is a significant reduction from normal flow.
Residents have been asked by the council to only use handheld hoses to conserve water, as the council begins looking at water conservation measures when the river drops below 1900 litres per second.
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"Normally, we would be asking people to only use sprinklers on alternate days before we switch to handheld hoses only," said assets and operations manager David Hopman.
"October is very early for our district's rivers to drop to this level. However, we are hoping that forecast rain will provide some reprieve over the next week."
The way water restrictions are initiated has changed slightly this year, he said, adding that residents in Masterton should be prepared for the potential of a total watering ban if conditions worsen.
"For the first time our water restrictions are directly tied to the level of water in our rivers," said Mr Hopman.
"It means that if the rivers get below a certain level over a sustained period, we will be asking residents not to water their garden, either with sprinklers or handheld hoses."
Masterton District Council is the northernmost council in the Wellington region. Mr Hopman said the council has been working with the greater Wellington Regional Council to manage Masterton's water consumption.
It comes after growing concerns over recent lack of rain in New Zealand.
Weather analyst Richard Green told RaidoLIVE on Sunday that many parts of the country are already feeling the effects of lack of rain, as forecasters warn of a weak El Niño weather pattern for summer.
New Zealand experienced a strong El Niño in 2015/2016, according to NIWA.
The NIWA weekly 'hotspot' soil moisture update found that rainfall has been below normal or well below normal for a majority of the North Island.
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