A city-wide water restriction has been put in place in Napier.

Hot and dry weather has led to a city-wide water restriction in Napier.

Just three days after Napier's water supply was chlorinated indefinitely, a total watering ban has been put in place.

On Monday, Napier City Council said its reservoirs had dropped to "critically low levels".

ANDRE CHUMKO/STUFF An up-close view of two of Napier's reservoirs above Tironui Drive in Taradale. The reservoirs are near the Church Road and Mission Estate wineries.

"That means if we don't act now, we run the very real risk of running out of water at some stage soon. Maybe even tonight," the council said.

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"Please check all your taps, hoses and sprinklers and turn them off. We're implementing a level-4 restriction which means no outdoor or garden water use (including hoses and sprinklers) at all, for at least the next few days.

ANDRE CHUMKO/STUFF On Friday, Napier City Council shut off the city's chlorine-free taps in Taradale's Tareha Recreational Reserve, after E. coli was detected in the Otatara reservoir.

"We will update you as soon as we can on how we're tracking."

The council's website states a "total watering ban" is in place, which means total restrictions on washing cars, filling pools and watering gardens.

Council director of infrastructure Jon Kingsford said he understood the situation was not ideal, but the restriction was due to Napier's "very high water usage".

ANDRE CHUMKO/STUFF Pictured are two of Napier's reservoirs above Tironui Drive in Taradale.

"Users typically use 570 litres per person per day – this is well above the national average. If we can get on top of this over the next few days we will be able to drop this level-4 restriction," he said.

Napier running out of water was highly unlikely, "but it is a possibility".

"We are using water faster than we can pump it into our reservoir from the aquifer. We are following the response plan, which is to advise our community and try and lower city usage as quickly as possible.

ANDRE CHUMKO/STUFF Napier's chlorine-free taps in Taradale have been closed as a "health precaution".

"Friday and Saturday levels were okay – on Sunday we took a big hit with our water use pattern. People are leaving hoses on at night, which is having a hugely negative impact on water levels," he said.

Prosecution was an option for residents found flouting the restriction, as was restricting water flow to particular households.

Council staff were briefed on lowering water usage around parks and reserves, and the restriction would be reviewed "later in the week".

NIWA scientist Chris Brandolino said Napier had 12mm of rain in November, which is 21 per cent of its usual 56mm.

Whakatu in Hastings received 5mm of rainfall in November, which is 9 per cent of its usual, making it the third-driest November on record, which dates back to 1870.

Brandolino said for September 1 to November 30, Napier had 91mm of rain, when they typically received 176mm.

"The spring has been dry, maybe not quite as an extreme, but November was ... especially dry. When you have the dry weather and a warm time of year, certainly the sunshine will help evaporate water."

Prospects for rain over the next 7 days were "slim to none", he said.

Napier residents have been reporting frustration and sickness after the rest of the city's drinking water supply was chlorinated following an E. coli discovery.

On Friday, the council announced they were shutting off the city's chlorine-free taps in Taradale's Tareha Recreational Reserve "until further notice", and would be chlorinating the Otatara reservoir following a "low level" E. coli reading.

The reservoir, which supplies drinking water to about 200 households, was not previously chlorinated, "as hand dosing is required in order to treat the reservoir", the council said.

All of Napier's drinking water supply except Otatara and Puketapu had been chlorinated since May, when E. coli was again found in the system. Faecal matter was first discovered on February 1.

Meanwhile, an update on Napier's drinking water problems will be discussed behind closed council doors on Thursday in order to protect councillors and staff from "improper pressure or harassment".