Check out our drought tolerant plant gallery....establish before summer and say goodbye to watering!
Recent rain and cooler temperatures mean reservoirs across the region are replenishing and keeping up with current demand.
Hamilton City Council’s city waters manager Andrew Parsons says the city's residents have done an excellent job with managing water use at peak times.
"Outdoor water use had some sharp increases but timely rain meant we didn’t need to go above water alert level two. It's good to see the water-saving message is being taken on board, and we thank our communities for their effort over the summer."
Residents across the Waikato district also deserve a pat on the back for their efforts over the summer period.
"It has been a long, hot summer in the Waikato but our community’s focus on Smart Water has allowed the summer demand to be managed," Waikato District Council general manager service delivery Tim Harty says.
"With the lifting of restrictions, we would like to remind everyone that the job is not over, water is still a precious resource and we encourage everyone to continue the good work and heed the Smart Water message."
Waipa District Council water services manager, Tony Hale said demand across Waipa district had been lower than previous summers.
"This is the first time in three summers that we haven't moved to alert level 3 and had a complete sprinkler ban in place."
These positive results were a mixture of experiencing rain at crucial points and a great effort from the community, he said.
"Whether it was observing the alert level rules or telling us about someone who wasn't, the community were certainly playing their part in saving water."
The Smart Water Starts with You! sub-regional summer campaign aims to make long-term change to how we use water and is a joint venture between Hamilton City Council, Waikato District Council and Waipa District Council