Residents in the South Hokianga towns of Ōpononi and Ōmāpere will have to conserve water for at least another 24 hours as the search continues for a pipe break that’s draining the town’s water reservoir.

On Wednesday, Far North District Council appealed to residents and businesses connected to town water supplies in Paihia, Kaitāia and Ōpononi-Ōmāpere to urgently reduce water consumption for 24 hours.

Flood debris from Tuesday’s torrential rain had damaged the water intake at Paihia’s Waitangi River treatment plant, which also supplies Ōpua and Waitangi, while silt and debris in the Awanui River had clogged the intake for the Kaitāia plant.

A council spokesman said those problems had since been resolved, with the Paihia and Kaitāia plants now operating normally.

In Ōpononi-Ōmāpere, however, contractors had so far been unable to locate the pipe break, which was leaking about five cubic metres of water an hour.

The location had been narrowed down to the Ōpononi end of the network, but the search was complicated by large volumes of standing water from Tuesday’s deluge.

People in Ōpononi and Ōmāpere were urged to keep conserving water for another 24 hours, for example by taking shorter showers, delaying washing clothes and dishes and flushing only when necessary.

The council was grateful to residents in all three affected areas for heeding Wednesday’s call to conserve water.

Their efforts had made a difference, with treatment plant operators observing a marked drop in water after the call went out.