Is the glass 3/4 full or 1/4 empty?

We broke the 75% barrier for the first time since February 2019!

Gee, you’ll say. And you’ll say it in a way that lets me know the depth of your disinterest.

Well, you can be as jaded as you want, but checking Auckland’s dam levels has become a daily sport for me and a surprising number of other people over these last couple of years.

Back in early 2019, we had a drought that included the longest ever recorded stretch of time with no rainfall… over 40 days! Water restrictions were put in place, and there was a pretty intensive PR campaign to encourage people to conserve. But still the reservoirs fell.

Since then, we’ve largely returned to normal rainfall. They’ve also started taking more water directly out of the Waikato river and brought a couple of big wells into production. But even with all that, the reservoirs haven’t gotten up to their normal levels.

But maybe things have finally turned the corner… One or two rainy months now will get us to a really comfortable position for the summer. And thanks to whatever combination of sensors and an API, I’ll be able to track the whole journey in near real time!