Due to extremely high demand for 200 litre water tanks, Porirua City Council is establishing a pre-order system.

In the past six weeks, Council has sold 102 of the 200 litre tanks, compared to just 16 over the same period in the prior year.

"The tanks have been flying out the door and last week our Contact Centre was receiving about 100 calls a day about the tanks," says Porirua Mayor Anita Baker.

"We want as many of our residents as possible to have access to these tanks, which can be connected to a downpipe so they fill up when it rains."

Porirua City Council has now increased its tank order, which will see 90 of the 200 litre tanks delivered each week until the end of February.

"While we are working hard with Wellington Water to fix leaks, we all need to play our part by following water restrictions, reducing our water use and having an emergency water supply," says Mayor Baker.

Porirua, Wellington, Upper Hutt and Lower Hutt have now moved to level 2 water restrictions, meaning all unattended watering systems are now banned, including household sprinklers and irrigation systems.

Pre-order system

For those wanting a 200 litre tank, please drop in to our Customer Service Centre at 16 Cobham Court during office hours to complete your pre-order. Pre-orders cannot be made online or over the phone.

You’ll need to prepay the $118 cost of the tank, and then our staff will add your contact details to the waitlist and issue you with a receipt as proof of purchase.

When tanks arrive, people on the list will be contacted in order, with details about where and when to pick up their tank.

Receipts must be presented when you collect your tank.

"This pre-order system is a new one, so we ask people to please be patient with our staff as everything is established," says Mayor Baker.

"With level 2 water restrictions coming in this week, we must all remember to conserve water where we can, such as taking shorter showers, turning the tap off when brushing your teeth or washing your hands, and waiting until you have a full laundry load before running the washing machine."

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