Watercare's chief executive says he will personally "apologise to all of Auckland" if the drought-stricken city receives enough rainfall to warrant the removal of the current restrictions on Auckland's water usage.
The restrictions, which came into effect on Saturday, require Aucklanders to refrain from using hoses or water-blasters - meaning the taps have been turned off for many outdoor cleaning businesses already struggling post-COVID.
The current levels of Auckland's depleting dams have not been seen in almost three decades.
"We have a serious drought... we are appealing to [Aucklanders] good judgement that this is not the time to put to waste - and I use that word strongly - potable drinking water that's going to be in short supply come summer, because the forecast for rainfall is very low," Raveen Jaduram told Newshub on Sunday.
"If that forecast is wrong and we end up with lots of rain over many days, I will apologise to all of Auckland. Right now, we all have to be prudent."
He says level 2 restrictions are imminent as Auckland's lake storage levels continue to fall. If it drops beneath 40 percent capacity - with Sunday's levels sitting at just 44.4 percent - harsher water prohibitions will be implemented.
"I accept there's going to be impacts on all of us, whether we're at home or in businesses. When we move to level 2 - and level 2 is not that far away... businesses will be asked to save a tremendous amount of water and it's going to have a big impact," he said.
However, Jaduram says Watercare has only received 35 calls reporting restriction breaches since the requirements were implemented, an indication that Aucklanders "have behaved very well" so far - particularly during Saturday's sunny weather.
"I'm presuming it was a beautiful day and [those] individuals decided they were going to use their hose pipe to wash the car, wash the house, clean the pavement, water the garden - that is what the restriction is about, no outdoor-hose-use," he told Newshub.
"We would like to think they were not well-informed. That's why we're encouraging neighbours - if you're friendly with your neighbours - to have a chat, with physical distancing, and say 'please don't do that' and explain why."
If someone is uncomfortable with broaching the subject of a restriction breach with their neighbour, Jaduram says to contact Watercare or Auckland Council. Like the NZ Police approach to those flouting COVID-19 alert level protocol, Watercare will first adopt an education-based response to reported breaches and will assume the offender was uninformed. If there are multiple complaints regarding the same individual or household, enforcement action will be taken.
The restrictions are especially hard for businesses who rely on outdoor water usage, particularly following weeks of lockdown in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Although Jaduram acknowledges the difficulties imposed on these businesses, he says it doesn't change the fact that Auckland is in a severe, unprecedented drought.
"While I understand that a number of businesses are having to make sacrifices for the greater good, my message is - I'm trying to preserve drinking water," he told Newshub.
"Washing houses and washing cars with portable water is a no-no... right now, it's definitely not allowable."
